Student Spotlight: Gina Wilson's Passion for Providing Care to Mothers & Babies Led Her to Tanzania

Student Spotlight: Gina Wilson's Passion for Providing Care to Mothers & Babies Led Her to Tanzania

DUSON Student Spotlight highlights the diverse background of our nursing students and their personal stories of dedication, leadership, perseverance and academic or community achievements.

DUSON shines a spotlight on DNP student Gina Wilson from Harrisburg, NC. Wilson will graduate in May 2016.

Q: What would people be surprised to know about you?

A: People would be surprised to know that I was a competitive fast-pitch softball pitcher in high school and college. I played softball growing up for as long as I can remember. I have so many great memories with my dad and my sister who played too. I was fortunate to be on teams that were nationally ranked with the opportunity to learn the value of teamwork along the way. I have many great memories, but I am glad that I don't have to wake up for 6 a.m. workouts or go to practices on freezing cold January afternoons anymore!

Q: What is a cause you're passionate about?

A: I am passionate about caring for mothers and babies particularly in resource limited settings. This work was inspired by my experiences during my final clinical residency in Moshi, Tanzania almost two years ago. I was completing my Master of Science in Nursing, specializing as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I decided to journey to Tanzania for a portion of my clinical residency. There I had many impactful experiences, but one in particular changed my life. That experience fueled my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) capstone project.   

Q: Tell us about a project, service group or organization that you are involved with at DUSON, Duke University or in the community.

A: When I returned home from my trip to Moshi, Tanzania, I spent time reviewing the available evidence about the reality of childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa. Zanzibar, like most of sub-Saharan Africa, has a very high neonatal mortality rate (29 deaths per 1,000 live births). I knew I wanted to focus my capstone in this area, so I approached one of my professors to talk about it. She encouraged me to continue reviewing the evidence to find why neonates are dying and what programs are being implemented to help reduce this. hat is when I found the Helping Babies Breathe program and the rest is history!

The first step I took to pursue implementation was to establish connections with a local non-profit in Zanzibar. I knew of an American based non-profit that worked with midwives on the island. They were able to connect me with the appropriate people within the Zanzibar Ministry of Health to gain approval. This was an adventure of emails, meetings and discussions. Thankfully I received approval and after a great deal of collaboration we planned our initial steps for implementation.

My contacts at the Ministry of Health assisted in identifying six nurse-midwives who would serve as master trainers. I initially trained the six master trainers on Helping Babies Breathe (HBB). At the end of this training the master trainers practiced how they would train other midwives. It was neat to watch the master trainers encourage each other as they discussed and practiced how they would conduct training. Then the six master trainers trained 27 additional midwives. Great intention was placed on facilitating a positive and inclusive environment. Everyone helped each other.  t was incredible to watch the midwives learn from each other. All participants received the following supplies: upright bag-mask resuscitator, penguin suction device, solar light, HBB learner handbook in Kiswahili, laminated HBB Action Plan in Kiswahili, pen, notebook, and a bag to hold all the supplies. 

After spending more than two months in Zanzibar, Tanzania facilitating and leading training efforts, I headed back to the United States. Three months after implementation I returned for follow up. During my absence the master trainers completed 62 observations of live births. The purpose of the observations was to see whether or not HBB was coming to life in their clinics and communities. It was found that out of the 62 observations recorded over a three month time period, 12 babies were not breathing at birth. All 12 newborns received the proper intervention which allowed them to survive the Golden Minute.

During this trip, final data was also collected and we held a celebration for the midwives. The celebration included framed certificates, cake, soda, T-shirts, and HBB pencils. This was so much fun! 

After completing the training, I had a chance to meet with the Ministry of Health to share results and discuss our plans moving forward. The Ministry of Health is very happy with our progress thus far and wants to continue training midwives. The Ministry of Health has agreed to continue to help coordinate training, providing the training location and assisting with the transportation of supplies to the island. They have been a great partner in this project.

Our goal is to train and provide supplies to all the midwives on Unguja (main island) and Pemba (another major island that is part of Zanzibar) by the end of 2017. This work is so close to my heart. The midwives are incredible; so intelligent and dedicated to caring for those around them. They inspire me. I am so incredibly thankful to work with them.

Q: What have you learned (or are learning) that's made a difference to you?

A: I have learned so much being a part of the DUSON community. This program has allowed me to experience health care in diverse settings and learn from those in those settings.  I have learned how to review the evidence and let it steer the way in which I help others. DUSON has provided me with the support and the encouragement that I needed to take a crazy idea and turn it into reality. I am so thankful for the faculty and my classmates that I have met along the way. They have all made such a huge and lasting impact on my life. I am so grateful. 

Q: How does your nursing degree fit into your life's plans?

A: My nursing degree has been the most important piece of my professional career. I am very proud to be a nurse. When I finished up with my BSN, I never anticipated going back to graduate school. I loved every second of being a bedside nurse. I love being the caring "hands and feet."  

Thankfully, while being a bedside nurse many patients had questions that I did not know the answer to and this made me want to go back to school. After meeting several amazing nurse practitioners, I decided that would be a great next step.  I am a now serving as a nurse practitioner at a pediatric clinic in Jacksonville, Florida while I am working on my DNP. I love every second of working with children and their parents!  Every day is fun and I love the challenge and reward it brings. 

The DNP program has been life changing for me. I am planning on continuing my work in Tanzania even after graduating by training the remaining districts in Zanzibar.  Starting this month, I will join a core team of three other trainers for country implementation of Helping Babies Breathe, Essential Care of Every Baby, and Infection Control/Prevention training in Ghana.  I am very excited about what the future holds. I will forever be thankful to my mentors and Duke University School of Nursing. 

 

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