Service-Learning Immersion Hub

What is Service Learning?

Service-learning immersions are clinical-based experiences that allow pre-licensure and post-licensure students to work with various populations in domestic and international communities. Emory's School of Nursing has a multitude of budding and long-standing relationships with community partners across Georgia, the United States and the World. Students are able to have unique, challenging, and skill-building nursing experiences while receiving course credits.

Our local and global service-learning immersion experiences are academic and service-based trips that provide students with observational and hands-on opportunities to work with diverse groups and populations in the local community, throughout the United States, and worldwide. Check out this photo album to see our students in action!

How to Get Involved

Pre-licensure students and post-licensure students are both eligible to apply for service-immersion immersion trips.

Applications are open a few months before the departure of each trip.

In order to apply for a service-learning immersion trip, you must attend an information session about the components and requirements of each trip. You will then receive a link to the appellation portal where you will fill out your application and select which trips within the timeframe you are hoping to apply for.

Click here for more details on the timeframes of the each immersion trip.

Contact: LCC@emory.edu for more information!

Immersion Trip Information

Want to enhance your nursing education with a meaningful and impactful experience?

All nursing students have the opportunity to attend a service-learning immersion experience that will count towards a nursing course. Many immersions will now additionally count towards clinical hours!

Info Sessions

  • Info sessions are announced to the approved cohorts

Student Eligibility

  • Enrolled in the required course
  • In good academic standing and will need to remain in good academic standing
  • Approved by Program Directors
  • Do not have any current conduct code sanctions or active honor code marks

Student Course Credits

Pre-Licensure Students

Nell Hodgson School of nursing has various nursing programs for pre-licensure students. Most service-learning immersion experiences count towards clinical hours and the clinical hour requirements vary. Typically the immersion counts towards certain courses and is confirmed during the info sessions due to programs may update and the requirements may differ.

Local Immersions

PROGRAMS

Location: Rome, GA

Community Partner: Living Proof Recovery

Focus: Evidence-based prevention, screening, harm reduction, and treatment for individuals with substance use disorders in rural and urban areas in the US, with a focus in Georgia

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $300

Trip Size:  ~12 pre-licensure students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process

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Location: Rome, GA

Community Partner: New Horizon Treatment Center

Focus: Provides Substance-Use Disorder Treatment and Screening

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $300

Trip Size:  ~12 pre-licensure students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process

Immigrant & Refugee Primary Care

Location: Clarkston, GA

Community Partner: Clarkston Community Health

Focus: Students will work with patients who are part of Refugees, Immigrants and Immigrants (RIM) communities from over 50 different places of origin.

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  Free

Trip Size:  ~8 pre-licensure students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process

Rural Maternal Health

Location: Colquitt County, GA

Community Partner: Colquitt Regional Medical Center

Focus: Maternal Health across the continuum including: prenatal care, intrapartum care, postpartum care, and subsequent follow-ups

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $300

Trip Size:  ~6 students

Course Credits:​​​​​​​ Varies and are shared before the application process

Pediatrics

Location: Metro-Atlanta, GA

Community Partner: Multiple partners across the Atlanta region

Focus: Pediatric health screenings and assessments

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  Free

Trip Size:  ~6 students

Course Credits:​​​​​ Varies and are shared before the application process​​

FWFHP - Farm Worker Family Health Program

Location: Moultrie, GA

Community Partner: Ellenton Health Clinic

Focus​​​​​​​: Provide healthcare for migrant farm worker families. Additionally, students experience clinically meaningful inter-professional service learning opportunities to multiple health professions students.

Timeframe:

  • Summer (June)

Trip length:

  • Pre-licensure: 1 week
  • Post-licensure: 2 weeks

Estimated Trip Fee:  $300

Trip Size:  

  • 30 students - Pre-licensure
  • 20 students - Post-licensure

Course Credits:​​​​​​​ Varies and are shared before the application process

Global Immersions

Rural Health Care
for Indigenous Populations​​​​​​​ (PROGRAM ON HOLD)

Location: Auburn, California

Community Partner: Chapa-De Indian Health Service

Focus: Students will work with a federally funded substance abuse/addiction clinic to provide health education and understanding of the health care system. There will be nurse-led substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction practices for substance use, and observations of community-based and residential treatment for substance use disorders.

Timeframe:

  • Spring Break

Trip length:1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $

Trip Size:  ~12 students

Course Credits:

Yucatan, Mexico: Primary Care & Education

Location: Merida, Yucatan, Mexico

Community Partner: Autonomous University of Yucatan (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán)

Focus: The trip will allow students to gain an understanding of nursing and the healthcare system in Mexico to better equip them to deliver care to a diverse patient population while exploring both modern and traditional health care practices.

  • Students will be immersed in the language, culture, and health care system of Mexico.

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $1200

Trip Size:  6-14 students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process​​​​​

Kingston, Jamaica: Rural Primary Care​​​​​​​ & Education

Location: Kingston, Jamaica

Community Partner: Ministry of Health and local churches

Focus: Students will work with 6 residential centers directed by Missionaries of the Poor. Students will conduct health education and screening on school-aged children, adults. Some populations at the community sites include pregnant teens, children who are orphans, patients who are chronically ill, patients living with HIV / AIDs

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $1200

Trip Size:  ~12 students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process

Montego Bay, Jamaica: Rural Primary Care​​​​​​​ & Education

Location: Montego  Bay, Jamaica

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $1200

Trip Size:  ~12 students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process

Bahamas: Primary Care & Education​​​​​​​

Location: Bahamas

Focus: This group will work in local clinics and with non-profit organizations and residents to provide healthcare and health education to adults and children

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $1200

Trip Size:  ~12 students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process

Santo, Haiti: Primary Family Care & Education

Location: Santo, Haiti

Community Partner: Foundation of Peace

Focus: Students will work under a physician in the community to provide clinical care and gain an understanding of the health care system in Haiti. Daily Tasks include community outreach, visiting health faculties, and relationship-building. There will be 300-800 patients seen per day. About 15-25 patients will be seen per student per day. Students will work one-on-one with an interpreter fluent in Haitian Creole and English.

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $

Trip Size:  ~12 students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process

Cap Haitian, Haiti: Primary Family Care & Education

Location: Cap Haitian, Haiti

Community Partner: Eternal Hope

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $

Trip Size:  ~12 DABSN students

Course Credits:​​​​​​​

Dominican Republic: Primary Family Care​​​​​​​ & Education

Location: Dominican Republic

Community Partner: Foundation of Peace

Focus: Clinical care under full-time licensed physician and gain understanding of the health care system in the Dominican Republic

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $1200

Trip Size:  ~12 students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process

Female Preventative Care

Location: Cusco, Peru

Community Partner: CerviCusco

Focus: Cervical and breast cancer screening

Timeframe: Varies

Trip length: 1 week

Estimated Trip Fee:  $1200

Trip Size:  ~12 students

Course Credits: Varies and are shared before the application process

Virtual Immersions

Native Health around the World

Focus: Explore health challenges confronting Native populations

  • Examine social, cultural, political and economic factors that influence health
  • Address the NHWSN curricular concept threads of:
  • Bioethics/social responsibility
  • Patient and family-centered care
  • Leadership/policy
  • Teamwork/collaboration

Speakers representing:

  • Sierra Native Alliance
  • Atlanta Indigenous People's Association
  • Chapa-De Indian Health
  • Emory Native American Initiatives

Timeframe:

  • 1st block Spring 2022

Trip length: Friday Afternoon

Estimated Trip Fee:  Free

Trip Size:  ~30 students - pre-licensure and post-licensure

Course Credits:

FAQ

1. Who can go? ​​​​​​​

All nursing students in good academic standing are eligible to attend a service-learning immersion experience. Each immersion is tailored to students in specific nursing programs. To learn more about what immersion you can go on, deepening on which nursing program you are enrolled in, please see the Immersion Trip tab.

2. When are the immersion trips?

The service-learning immersion trips occur during academic breaks. There are multiple times throughout the year that the immersion trips occur:

  • Winter Break
  • Spring Break
  • Summer Break
  • Fall Break

3. Are there pre-requisites?

Nursing students are eligible to attend a service-learning immersion trips based on the progression in your respective program. Since some of the immersion trips count towards clinical hours, there are courses that need to have been completed in order for you to receive the most out of your experience.

4. How do you apply?

Applications open a few months before each break when immersion are occurring. To know when to apply to an immersion trip, click here for the application timeline.

5. Where do you stay?

During the immersions, students and faculty stay close in proximity to the community partners you are working with. Often times, you staying a local hotel. The international immersions have various accommodations; all of which are safe and are close to the clinical sites.

6. How much does it cost?

Many of the local immersion are free of costs to students. Overnight and global immersions do have a fee that is charged to the student's OPUS account. For more details, go the Service-Learning Immersion Trips tab for more information.

7. What is the time commitment?  

There is varying time commitments for each immersion trip. In general, there is pre-trip expectations which includes meeting with your faculty and fellow nursing students to prepare for the trip. On-trip time commitments vary on the location of your immersion experience. Local immersions are often day commitments, where students are able to go home each evening. Geographically further immersions typically involve a hotel stay where students are more engaged in their experience for the duration of the immersion. There is additionally post-trip expectations that include sharing your experiences with your local and healthcare communities.

8. Can I apply to more than one trip?

Yes. You are welcome to apply to multiple service-learning immersion trips and are able to rank your preferences on your application. In order to expand the opportunity of immersion trips to all students, you are welcome to join one immersion trip during your pre-licensure program and one immersion during your post-licensure program at Emory.

9. Can I apply to other trips if I do not get accepted the first time I apply?

Yes. If you are not selected for the initial immersion trip timeframe you applies for, you are welcome to apply for another timeframe. For example, if you applied for the winter immersions and were not selected, you are welcome to apply to either a spring break or summer break immersion trip, as long as the immersion aligns with the clinical course required for your program.

10. Do you get course credit?  

Yes. Every service-learning immersion trip counts for a nursing course. You can learn more about the specific trip details by attending a informational session or by clicking here.

11. What is the transportation?  

Transportation looks differently per immersion experience. Transportation is provided for international and geographically further immersion experiences. For local immersion experiences, students often carpool for transportation between campus and the clinical sites.

12. How does the food work?

Local immersions function similarly to nursing student's hospital-based clinical rotations. Depending on how far the site is form Emory's campus, some immersions include breakfast and or lunch, and dinner is often the student's responsibility. Global immersions include all meals for students and it is encouraged that students additionally bring snacks. More detailed information will be provided for each specific service-learning immersion experience.