1

HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM

Complete this proposal prior to your projects start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create a project (Add a new record) in the Tracking Project tab and then
upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is on the 5th of each month.
While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4 pages in length (single-spaced).
Please maintain the proposal format.
Basic Information
Full Name: Mollie Elisabeth Williams
UC Email: willi3me@mail.uc.edu
College: College of Nursing
Major: Nursing
Title of Project: Dominican Republic Medical Service Trip
Thematic Area (choose only one): Community Engagement, Creative Arts, Global Studies, Leadership, OR Research
Expected Project Start Date: January 3, 2015
Expected Project End Date: January 11, 2015
Project Information
1. Provide a detailed abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
This January, UCs College of Nursing is partnering with Timmy Global Health on a medical service trip
to Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. The medical professionals and volunteers on this trip will conduct a 5-day
health clinic at different batey sites, or banana plantations. These clinical sites are adopted communities that
Timmy Global Health has chosen to partner with and visits during each medical service trip they take to the
Dominican Republic. Throughout our 5 clinic days, I will assist in providing medical care to community
members in various ways such as taking vital signs and patient histories in triage, shadowing physicians in patient
consultation, helping dispense medications in the pharmacy, and administering fluoride to children and
adolescents, in addition to other miscellaneous clinic duties.
In order for this trip to take place, a lot of planning and work is necessary. The group of nursing students
that I am going to the Dominican Republic with has various meetings planed out with our leader before leaving.
During these meetings we will spend time learning about the Dominican Republic culture, along with preparing
information that we will present to community members. It is our goal to better educate these people on health
concepts such as proper hand hygiene and monitoring blood pressure. Another big part of our preparation for this
trip is collecting 60,000 vitamins to take with us to Monte Cristi that we can distribute to the citizens.
For many years now I have wanted to participate in a medical service trip. I knew that in becoming a
nurse, that these trips would be a way that I could use my medical knowledge in order to help people in poor
countries. I chose to purse an education in Nursing because I wanted to be able to help other people each and
every day. I believe that through going on this medical service trip to the Dominican Republic that I will be able
to make a difference in their community and in their lives. I also believe that the people of Monte Cristi will open
my eyes to many new aspects of life, and that they will aid me in growing into a more well rounded individual.
Below I have inserted a tentative itinerary for my medical service trip to Monte Cristi, Dominican
Republic. We will arrive on Saturday, January 3rd and depart to come home on Sunday, January 11.
Sunday 01/4
Monday 01/5 Tuesday 01/6 Wednesday
Thursday
Friday 01/9
Saturday
01/7
01/8
01/10
Morning
Orientation
Depart for
Depart for
Depart for
Depart for
Depart for
Depart for
and Tour
community
community
community
community
community
tour of
Banelino
Isabel
Madre
Maguaca
Walterio
Lavadero
mangroves
Office
and visit to
Isla Cabra
Lunch
Lulu at
At
At
At
At
At
At Isla
Banelino
community
community
community
community
community
Cabra
Afternoon Trip to El
Clinic
Clinic
Clinic
Clinic
Clinic
Evaluations

2
Morro and
hike
Hotel

Dinner
Evening

Bin/Med
prep

and pack up
Hotel

Coco Mar

Hotel

Reflection,
Bin/Med
prep

Bin/Med
prep

Souvenir
Shopping,
Bin/Med
Prep

Lulu and Dr.

Garcias
home
Bin/Med
prep

Hotel

Hotel

Live music
and dancing

Final
reflection
and
donations

Clearly and thoroughly address how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work:
2. Connection to Learning Outcomes within the Honors Thematic Area (identified above)
I.
Possesses awareness of purpose of service, including need for reciprocity, understanding of social issues,
and ability to see those issues from multiple perspectives.
Timmy Global Health is an organization out of Indianapolis that arranges medical service trips to
various communities throughout the world. They work hard to provide continuity in the communities by
placing different universities and service trip teams at their international clinic sites on a rotating basis every 23 months. The University of Cincinnatis College of Nursing is partnering with Timmy Global health in their
medical service trip to the Dominican Republic this January. It is our goal while on this trip to provide health
care and treatment to the citizens of the communities we visit. These regular medical service trips hold such a
high importance because the members of the communities in the DR live in poor conditions and need to be
continually treated and provided with medication for their health problems.
I have taken multiple community health classes in college and have learned about the large number of
people in todays world who do not have access to health care. These citizens are underprivileged, and since
they do not receive proper medical care, they are at a much higher risk for experiencing health problems later
in their life. With my medical background and knowledge in community health, I am aware just how
important the medical clinics in the Monte Cristi communities are for the citizens health; they depend on us to
care for, and treat their health conditions. I also believe that this trip will open my eyes to a whole new aspect
of community health, and that I will be able to see firsthand how important healthcare is in poor, undeveloped
countries.
I plan to gain a better understanding of this trip, and of current social issues in the Dominican
Republic through various means. For example I will attend all of the group meetings that are held before we
leave on this trip. During this time our group leader will educate us on the history and social issues in the DR,
along with instructing us on the medical tasks we will be performing while at the clinical sites. I also plan on
preparing myself for the culture I will be emerged in by doing my own research and educating myself during
my spare time. I believe that having background information, and a knowledge base about this country will
allow me to see their cultural issues from multiple perspectives.
II.

Relates, communicates, and works effectively with others towards sustainable social change.
The area of the Dominican Republic in which we are traveling is a very poor community where many
of the citizens live on banana plantations. These people have a very limited access to basic resources such as
water, and live on a diet consisting mostly of bananas, beans, and rice. Since the citizens of Monte Crisit do
not have proper access to health care, we will work together during our clinics to educate them and treat their
health problems. It is the goal of Timmy Global Health to improve the wellness of this community by sending
medical expertise every 2-3 months to specific sites to treat patients.
As a nursing student, I will be working with Timmy Global Health to help them accomplish this goal.
I will work collaboratively with the other service group members to assess, diagnose, and treat these patients.
While at the various clinical sites, I may be assigned different jobs such as taking vital signs, documenting
physician visits, or dispensing prescriptions in the pharmacy. But regardless of what I am assigned to do, I will
work towards the greater goal of improving the health of the Monte Crisit community.

III.

Participates in community and understands own role as citizen of community.

During my medical service trip to the Dominican Republic I will be directly immersed into the
community. For 5 days I will be working at clinic sites with other nursing students, physicians, and volunteers
educating and treating patients. My time spent in various Monte Cristi communities will be aimed at serving
others and bettering their health. I believe that I will be able to do this at each clinical site on our health
birdage through my one-on-one interactions with patients. I want to be able to help the people of this
community and make a difference in their lives.

3
Throughout my trip I will be exposed to all aspects of the community such as their social, economic,
and health issues. I believe that my first-hand experience of providing health-care in the Dominican Republic
will enable me to learn a great deal about their community and the disparities that individuals face on a day-today basis.

3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories (include reference list, as appropriate)

A. How does this project contribute to your future academic, professional, and/or personal goals?
As a little girl, I always knew that when I grew up that I wanted to become a nurse. I love the
feeling of helping others and being able to make an impact in their lives, which is something that I
will be able to do directly through nursing. I have also always dreamed of participating in a medical
service trip through which I could help people living in poor, impoverished countries. This program
will allow me to use the medical knowledge I have gained in my nursing classes to do exactly this.
I believe that this trip will be a great experience for me and will help me to become a better nurse.
Working first hand, and caring for the poor citizens of Monte Cristi will develop my knowledge basis
and open my eyes to new health care issues. Although my work will be done in a different country,
there are many things that I will be able to relate to my practice back home as a nurse. Many of the
community members in the Dominican Republic do not have easy access to health care, which is also
the case for lower-class citizens in the United States. Since these patients do not have health care,
when medical professionals see them, they present with many problems. It is our job then to assess
and diagnosis these patients, and to develop a prioritized plan of care. I will have first hand
experience doing this for a week while in the Dominican Republic and will use the knowledge I gain
in my own professional practice as a nurse.
I believe that there is something that I can learn from every patient I care for. While in the
Dominican Republic I will help to care for, and treat numerous patients during our 5 days of clinical.
During this time I anticipate that I will learn many new things and will have the opportunity to
develop my communication skills with patients. One of the most important things as a nurse is the
ability to develop a trusting relationship with your patient in order to provide them with the best care
possible. I will have numerous opportunities to do this while in the Dominican Republic and I
believe that the skills I gain will aid in my growth as a nurse.
While in Monte Crisit, the majority of the patients that we will be caring for will not know
English. They will either speak Spanish or Haitian Creole. This language barrier will be a new
experience for me in caring for patients, and I will have to find new ways to communicate simple
terms. Although I may be nervous, I know that this will be a great experience for me because when I
practice as a professional nurse, there will be times that I will have to care for patients who are from
various cultures, or who speak different languages. My work in the Dominican Republic will help to
prepare me for my future profession, and I cannot wait for this opportunity.
B. Name 2-3 specific theories, readings, concepts, or courses you will use to prepare or gain background
knowledge for your project. Explain how/why you chose your resources and how they will inform your
project. Provide citations, as appropriate.
In order to better prepare myself for this project, I will read the novel In the Time of the
Butterflies. This is a book that our group leader recommended for us to read. It is an account of the
Mirabal sisters and is set in the time of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. These
four sisters commit to making a political effort to overthrow the government. Through reading this
book, I will become more educated on the past and present political and government issues present in
the Dominican Republic. I will also gain more insight on the cultural aspects of the country. I
believe that this will be an excellent book for me to read before attending my medical service trip to
the Dominican Republic.
I have also prepared myself for this project by reading the article Helping, Fixing, or Serving?
by Rachel Naomi Reman. This passage opens up by saying, Fixing and helping create a distance
between people, but we cannot serve at a distance. We can only serve to which we are profoundly
connected (Reman 1). This quote sets the stage perfectly for the purpose of this article. It focuses on
the differences between helping, fixing and serving someone. When you help someone, the
relationship may not always be equal. We use our strengths to help others in need, but when we serve,
we serve with our whole self and draw from various experiences we have had throughout our life.
While fixing or helping someone may burn out with time, through serving we will find a sense of
renewal and gratification. This article has given me a much greater understanding of what it means to

4
serve others and the value that it can hold. The message of this article is something that I will carry
with me while caring for the community members of Monte Cristi, but also throughout the rest of my
life.
References
Helping, Fixing or Serving?, Rachel Naomi Remen, Shambhala Sun, September 1999.
3. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity
My unique contribution to our medical service trip has been organizing and spearheading our groups
project of fundraising money to purchase vitamins. Timmy Global Health has asked us to bring 60,000 vitamins
with us on our medical service trip to the Dominican Republic to distribute to the citizens of Monte Cristi (15,000
prenatal vitamins, 20,000 pediatric vitamins, and 25,000 adult vitamins). The Dominican Republic is a
developing country and the city of Monte Cristi is very impoverished. The diets of these citizens are rather
limited and solely consist of bananas, beans, and rice. This can lead to a nutrient deficiency that can greatly
hinder the growth and development of community members, especially during critical times such as childhood
and pregnancy. Therefore we are working to fundraise money so that we are able to provide vitamins to the people
of Monte Cristi, and aid them in their growth and maintenance of proper nutrient levels.
Andrea McKenzie and I have partnered up and taken charge of this project. We both understand how
important it is that we bring these vitamins with us to the Dominican Republic, and we are determined to raise
enough money to do so. Together we have created a fundraising website where anyone can donate money to our
cause. We also plan to gather vitamins within our own community by setting up a booth at Kroger and asking
customers to purchase prenatal, pediatric, or adult vitamins while shopping. Through these two means, we
believe that we will be able to gather and purchase 60,000 vitamins to take with us to the Dominican Republic.
4. Reflection
I plan on reflecting on my experiences throughout the entirety of this project. I will journal every night
while on my medical service trip in the Dominican Republic. I believe that taking time each evening to step away
from everything will allow me to reflect on my day, the service I provided, and the people I met, along with all of
the good and the bad. In taking time to reflect on my experiences each night, I will be able to determine some
aspects that I need to change, along with recognizing other things that I really enjoyed doing.
While journaling at night I will ask myself certain questions such as, What did I learn today- about
myself, others, or the practice of nursing? What can I take away from today that will help me to reach my goal
of becoming a professional nurse? and How was I able to serve others and the community members of Monte
Cristi today?
Along with reflecting on my experiencing through journaling, I will also reflect with my group members
at the end of each day. We will discuss the events of our day, our favorite experiences, and how we each felt
about the service we provided. I believe that reflecting out loud and with others is always very beneficial. There
is so much that you can learn from other people and their experiences, and I believe that doing this will help my
own reflection regarding my overall learning and personal growth.
5. Dissemination
I plan to create a blog documenting my trip to Monte Cristi. I will first draft a post explaining the mission
of this trip and the value that it holds to me. I plan to then craft various blog posts documenting my experiences,
and reflecting on my time spent in the DR. These posts will demonstrate my involvement and show how I am
making an impact in the community. Through my blog I will also explain how this experience is related to my
academic goals. I believe that reflecting in this manner will allow me to get the most out of my experience.
I will publically share my learning experience with others by connecting my blog to my learning portfolio
and adding the link so that I can show others what I am doing. I will also share my blog on my Facebook account
so that my friends, family members, and fellow classmates can learn about my experience in the Dominican
Republic.
Upon returning from the Dominican Republic I plan to also share my experience with other UC Nursing
students. During planned sessions, I will discuss what I have learned with other groups who have previously gone
on medical service trips so that we can compare and reflect upon our similar, yet different experiences. I will also
set up a time where I can speak to younger students who are interested in going on future trips so that I can share
my knowledge and experiences with them, along with answering any questions they may have.

5
My directed audience of UC Nursing students is relevant because we are all part of the medical field, and
as future nurses we are all working towards better educating and preparing ourselves for our professional practice.
The care that I will provided while in the DR will be very different from the work I do as a nurse in the United
States, but there will be many valuable lessons that I learn that I will be able to relate to my own work and share
with others. Some of the nursing students that I will talk to will have already gone on a medical service trips like
mine, and others will have the opportunity to in the future. Therefore I hope to encourage those younger students
to participate in a nursing trip through the stories I share with them, and show them show them how eye opening
this experience was for me.
6. Project Advisor (list the persons name, title, and contact information)
Tina Weitkamp. Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing, (513)-558-5271, weitkatl@ucmail.uc.edu
7. Budget (if applicable)
I will be attending a medical service trip through the University of Cincinnatis College of Nursing to
Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. We will be gone from January 3rd-11th, 2015. The total cost of the trip will
be $2,400 ($2,100 for living and transportation and a $300 initial deposit). I will be receiving a $300 grant from
the College of Nursing.
I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to be a part of this medical service trip, but it will be rather costly for
me. Providing myself with the funds to afford this trip, in addition to paying for my own college tuition has
placed a huge finical strain on me. Therefore I would greatly appreciate any assistance that the Honors Program
could provide me with.