West Visayas State University
In the province of Iloilo, students encounters less urban life and more
of the island experiences. Faculty from West Visayas State University
Nursing Program plan cultural interviews and clinical experiences in
diverse community settings. In a government hospital, the students care
for children with diseases characteristic of the tropical environment.
They interview commercial sex workers in a social hygiene clinic and participate
in screening for sexually transmitted diseases. St. Joseph's Hospital in
Sta Barbara provides a clinical setting for the students to visit with residents
with Hansen's disease (leprosy). They observe the community environment at
the sanitarium with workshops for special craft trades, an elementary school for
children, and residential apartments for families of the patients.
Culmination occurs with home visits in a regional barangay
(local neighborhood). The culmination begins with
ceremonies at the barangay health clinic. Then the students are paired
with Filipino nursing students and proceed to visit a Filipino family and
interview them about their health needs.