IU School of Nursing

Two nursing students from Moi University School of Nursing & Midwifery in Eldoret, Kenya, recently completed a six-week exchange at the Indiana University School of Nursing, gaining hands-on experience in U.S. hospitals and classrooms while sharing their own expertise with peers in Indiana.

Dancan Kirabi and Nancy Muthoni Nyaga, both in the final year of their four-year program, visited the Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Fort Wayne campuses as part of the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) Global Health Initiative, a partnership that connects Moi University, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, and a consortium of universities led by IU. The AMPATH partnership originated in 1989 between the IU School of Medicine and Moi University. Now, almost every School of Medicine department participates, as well as IU’s Schools of Dentistry, Law, Public Health, and Nursing, among others.

The School of Nursing began its exchange program in 2024, sending six IU students to Kenya and hosting two Kenyan nursing students in Indiana for six weeks each year—all expenses paid.

“The purpose of our program is to provide a cross-cultural nursing experience for BSN students at the IU School of Nursing that allows students to develop a beginning understanding of how nursing care is delivered in Eldoret, Kenya,” said Barbara deRose, PhD, NP-C, director of Global Programs. “Similarly, the nursing students from Kenya are able to observe education and healthcare delivery in the U.S., as well as experience cultural differences between the two countries.”

Kirabi and Nyaga shadowed nurses at IU Health hospitals, attended classes, and participated in community and student-run clinics. Kirabi noted the opportunity to observe a stem cell transplant at Riley Children’s Hospital as especially impactful, and both remarked on the advanced training resources of the Simulation and Skills Center on the Fort Wayne campus. They also collaborated with IU faculty engaged in joint nursing research projects with Moi University.

Kirabi remarked that being selected for the program fulfilled a long-held dream.

“I’ve seen the impact the AMPATH program has on Kenya, especially in the western part of the country, not only improving the quality of healthcare but also providing economic activity for our people,” he said.

Nyaga noted differences she hopes to bring back to her peers in Kenya, including advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) training.

“If nurses were trained in ACLS, we could help save many lives,” she said, adding that U.S. nurses’ bedside manner also stood out.

Both students remarked on the collaborative teamwork they observed in Indiana hospitals, as well as the strong emphasis on infection prevention. Yet their most emotional takeaway was outside of the clinic—the bonds formed with host families in each city.

“We were treated so kindly, like one of the family members,” Nyaga said. “Leaving them was the hardest part.”

The exchange runs both ways. IU nursing students also travel to Eldoret to train alongside their Kenyan peers. Dana Wilson, who graduates in December, participated this past May and described her time at Moi University’s School of Nursing & Midwifery as life changing.

“The most memorable part of the experience was helping to deliver babies and connecting with the pediatric hospitalized patients,” Wilson recalled. “On day four of my labor and delivery clinical rotation, they allowed me to take the lead in three births. Every conversation and clinical moment shared is forever imprinted in my heart.”

DeRose said exchanges like these broaden perspectives and prepare nurses to deliver care in diverse settings.

“Indiana students who visited Kenya last summer became acutely aware of global health issues beyond their home state,” she said. “For Kenyan students, the experience encourages them to incorporate models of teaching, critical thinking, and bedside care into their home facilities. This boosts the potential for the next generation of nurses to be mindful of how cultural thoughts and practices impact healthcare outcomes.”

Kirabi agreed, noting the value of building stronger academic partnerships.

“If we have more collaboration between the faculty at IU and the faculty at Moi University School of Nursing, they could share ideas on how to improve the quality of education the students [at home] are receiving, and that would be very nice.”

He added that the exchange had been personally transformative as well.

“I hope this program continues because we have learned so much in class, our social lives have improved, and we have met some amazing people.”