Only 5 Nursing Students in the U.S. Got This Internship on a Floating Hospital in Africa
Image Source: WSOCTV.com
Three local nursing students are living out a dream — caring for patients aboard a floating hospital in Africa.
Earlier this summer, Emma Harris, Carolina Gutierrez, and Eric Dike, all nursing students at Belmont Abbey College, were selected for a rare opportunity. Only five nursing students in the entire United States earned a spot in this Mercy Ships internship program, and three of them are from the Charlotte area.
A Dream Years in the Making
For Emma Harris, this moment has been years in the making. Her calling to nursing began in middle school, when her cousin was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia.
“Doctors are amazing, but it’s the nurses who know which food your kid likes, what stuffed animal they want to sleep with, their routine, how to get them to do certain things,” Harris told Channel 9 earlier this year. She remembers nurses hiding dollar bills around the hospital to encourage her cousin to walk — small acts that made a big impact.
Her cousin is now in remission, and Harris is a rising senior in Belmont Abbey’s nursing program. She says Mercy Ships’ mission mirrors her own values — caring for the sick and the weary, and helping the most vulnerable.
A Mission Close to Home
Mercy Ships is a nonprofit that operates fully equipped hospital ships, providing free surgeries and medical care in areas where healthcare is hard to reach. The Africa Mercy, where the students are now serving, is stationed off the coast of Madagascar.
The mission is also personal for Harris — a Mercy Ships doctor once operated on her brother, who was born with clubbed feet.
From Fundraising to Frontline Care
Each student was required to raise $5,000 to join the internship. With community donations, they reached their goal and are now assisting with:
- Pre- and post-surgical care for patients
- Health education for families
- Outreach to connect people with needed services
Many of their patients are children with correctable conditions like cleft lip and palate, bowed legs, and burn injuries. Without Mercy Ships, most of these children would go untreated.
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