More than 20 years ago, Amie Bockstahler, MSN ‘11, RN, made her first medical mission trip to Guatemala. The experience – coupled with the opportunity to use her nursing skills to serve others – was so impactful, she decided she wanted to move there.
“I worked with vulnerable populations in high school and college, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of helping people from other cultures and in other countries,” said Amie, a 2011 graduate of IU School of Nursing’s community health nursing master’s program. “Working as a missionary nurse allows me to merge nursing and my faith as a Christian to serve others.”
Finding permanent medical missionary work in Guatemala took nearly 12 years. During that time, Amie, who graduated with a BSN from Cedarville University in Ohio, completed the IUSON master’s program and worked in pediatrics at Riley Children’s Health and at a children’s hospital in Chicago. After traveling to Togo to do missionary work, she connected with a medical missionary organization called TEAM and traveled with them to Nepal and Chad. When TEAM decided to place a team in Guatemala, Amie moved to Guatemala City to work with the organization in 2015.
“I learned Spanish and did some language study when I first moved here, and then it took some time to learn how people work and live, and their values,” Amie said. “It’s definitely been challenging at times, but it’s also been really fun.”
For the first six years, Amie worked in walk-in clinics in Guatemala City—one serving people living in poverty and the other on the city’s outskirts that attracted a more rural population. She spent two years facilitating a nursing assistant program at a nursing school. For the past year, she’s been working at a small hospital supported by a non-governmental organization (NGO). The NGO brings surgical teams from the United States to Guatemala City to perform surgeries for children at no cost to their families.
“It’s very rewarding to be a part of helping children get the care they need,” Amie said. “And the parents are so grateful; I’ve talked to moms who have told me they’ve known for years that their child has needed care, but they’ve never been able to get it for them.”
When she’s not providing direct care for patients, Amie also leads health and education initiatives in the community. She developed a community needs survey and provides education on topics like nutrition, chronic disease prevention and management, and prenatal care.
“Serving as a missionary nurse is what I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” Amie said. “And while I may not be able to impact thousands of lives, just seeing one person who is grateful that their life has been changed – it fills me up.”
