Christmas Greetings

Greetings everyone and a Merry Christmas!
The last few years have been full of blessings and new adventures for me.
In May of 2008 I traveled to Rwanda as a part of my master’s thesis to teach a class in basic trauma nursing. I had the pleasure of working with my friend Julie Yerger at Kibogora Mission Hospital. The experience was nothing short of amazing, I am sure I learned much more than I have ever taught.
In June 2008 I successfully defended my thesis and presented the work I did in Rwanda completing my work and officially becoming April Morgenroth RN, MN. It is much more exciting than it sounds however, as all it meant was a change in offices and an increase in responsibility. I suppose I could add to that eligibility for a PhD program, but that of course means many more years of work (and hopefully more trips to Rwanda).
In September 2008 I officially became the Northwest University Medical Surgical clinical instructor at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue. I have truly enjoyed the experience and have been blessed two years in a row with the “Best Clinical Group Ever.” We have had so much fun learning, laughing and growing together and I feel so incredibly blessed by them.
June of 2009 was the first year in 13 that I wasn’t in Mexicali, Mexico on the MOP mission’s trip with the high school students. The trip was canceled this year due to violence in the border cities. I must say there were a lot of disappointed high school students but we’re hoping to resume this year.
Of course I couldn’t let summer go by without any international travels… July found me in Cambodia with a medical team from New Life Foursquare Church. We served the Province of Ratanakiri by setting up a free clinic at a local orphanage. Thirteen practitioners saw over 1600 patients in only three days! We saw everything from Malaria to heart disease and everything in between. The clinic was actually cut short by some political activity but God has His hand on us and everything turned out for the best, even better than we had planned in fact.
Two weeks after returning to the U.S. from Cambodia I left for Mexico City with four students, one nurse and one nurse practitioner. This was part of a pilot program for a summer nursing elective travel course. The class was on trauma nursing and we partnered with the Mexican Red Cross. Fortunately I was able to modify the same curriculum I had developed for Rwanda for the work became a little more manageable.
The trip was amazing and we all made many wonderful new friends. Each team member was also able to bring in an extra suit case packed full of much precious donated medical supplies. An ambulance crew received their very first and only bag valve mask, a clinic was outfitted with a nebulizer machine and oxygen equipment and most of all, everyone was encouraged. The new curriculum has officially been approved by the office of the Provost and we are all looking forward to next summer.
These last few months since the beginning of the school year I have been dividing my time between University of Washington in the intensive care unit and Northwest University with my “9 kids.” The year is going by so quickly, I’m excited to see what the next year will bring.
Merry Christmas Everyone!