By Margaret Schell 

N ine Georgia College & State University nursing students studied abroad in Honduras for two weeks earlier this semester, including graduate students from the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Nurse-Midwifery and Family Nurse Practitioner programs and two Bachelor of Science in Nursing students. 

The students traveled to different villages, bringing primary care services to people with limited access to consistent healthcare. The students cared for nearly 700 patients — a significant portion of the population in the rural Agalta Valley. The team worked in partnership with Dr. German Jimenez, a Honduran physician. 

“Every day brought new faces, stories and challenges, and each patient reaffirmed why I chose a career in healthcare,” said Morgan Ashley Symonds, a senior who is graduating this month. “Seeing how limited access to healthcare accelerates the progression of these conditions was eye-opening. Even small interactions made a meaningful impact.” 

This experience transformed Symond’s perspective on healthcare. 

“Nursing is not only about medicine — it’s about humanity,” she said. “I learned the importance of cultural humility, creativity and genuine connection in patient care.”  

Students performed comprehensive health assessments, diagnosed and treated acute and chronic illnesses, prescribed medications within their scope of practice and provided patient education for disease prevention, nutrition, hygiene and maternal child health. They also helped manage common regional diseases like dengue fever, gastrointestinal infections and parasitic conditions. 

Students also collected epidemiologic data, conducted screenings and triaged patients for ongoing follow-up care with Jimenez. 

The students were accompanied by College of Health Sciences faculty Dr. Sallie Coke, professor of Nursing and HRSA ANEW Grant director, and Kasia Shaw, FNP, adjunct faculty member and vice president of Medical Services for Path Forward. 

“Each patient encounter contributes to an ongoing continuum of care, ensuring that follow-up, medication refills and further treatment remain accessible after our team departs,” Coke said. 

“Students strengthened their clinical reasoning skills and adaptability in low-resource environments,” she said. “They learned to think critically about global health systems, social determinants of health and the ethical delivery of care across cultures.” 

Coke hopes students return from Honduras with an understanding of what it means to be a nurse practitioner, as well as a global citizen. 

“The experience fosters compassion, leadership and resilience — skills that translate to providing high-quality, patient-centered care in rural and underserved communities in Georgia and nationwide,” she said. 

Georgia College’s bachelor’s and online master’s nursing programs are ranked No. 1 in Georgia by U.S. News & World Report. Many GCSU nursing graduates choose to serve in rural areas across the state, working to turn the tide of the state’s nursing shortage. 


From ranch workers to translators, Hondurans welcomed the students. 

“The resilience and warmth of the people meant compassion knows no boundaries,” Symonds said. “Healing can happen through a smile, gentle touch or by listening, even when language is a barrier. I’ll carry a deeper sense of gratitude, stronger commitment to global and community health and renewed passion for serving others.” 


Family Nurse Practitioner graduate student Grace McGibbon aspires to become a bilingual healthcare provider. She joined the Honduras study abroad team to earn clinical practice, travel to experience another culture and become more proficient in Spanish. 

“There are social determinants of health at play, making it more difficult for our patients to stay healthy, like geographic limitations to healthcare access, economic barriers and systemic challenges like developing infrastructure,” McGibbon said. 

Talking to patients in Honduras and seeing their day-to-day experiences gave McGibbon new perspectives on health and illness. 

“The conversations I had with patients will help me provide better culturally sensitive care in my future practice in the U.S.,” she said. “It’s a good reminder for all healthcare providers to be curious and open to practices that may differ from ours.”

Header Images: Nursing graduate student Grace McGibbon, undergraduate nursing student Morgan Ashley Symonds, and the full Honduras study abroad group outside a birthing center in Olancho, Honduras. (Photos by McGibbon, Symonds and nursing faculty Dr. Sallie Coke and Kasia Shaw.)