While many college students headed to vacation hotspots like Cancun or Cabo for spring break, UCLA’s Global Action in Nursing (GAIN) club members packed their scrubs, stethoscopes, and bug spray for a decidedly different kind of vacation, one where they’d spend their days learning about care, compassion, and community health.
In partnership with nonprofit Floating Doctors, the student nurses participated in a weeklong medical mission to the Bocas del Toro islands of Panama. Their goal: to help provide healthcare to isolated island communities with restricted access to medical services.
Hands On Care in Challenging Conditions
Alongside medical professionals and international volunteers, GAIN members worked as part of an integrated care team to deliver essential health services. They delivered essential services to patients as a team.
Students rotated through a number of stations: triage, pharmacy, dental, physical therapy, and primary care. They took vital signs, did pregnancy and urine checks, administered contraceptive injections, and helped with wound care. Some had the opportunity to facilitate translation between patients and providers, bridging the gap between language barriers.
Student Experience: More Than Just Clinical Skills
Beyond the clinical work, students immersed themselves in Panamanian culture by sleeping in hammocks, traveling by boat to clinics, and learning firsthand the value of adaptability and humility in healthcare.
“I knew the trip would shape me both professionally and personally,” said Kindersley Manchame, a third-year nursing student. “Studying abroad before [in Bolivia] was amazing, but this medical mission had a different kind of purpose.”
One moment that stuck with her was when a patient said they couldn’t read or write. “I was stunned. It made me reflect on my mom’s sacrifices and how lucky I am to have access to education, clean water, a car, and a working bathroom. We take so much for granted.”
Manchame also noted the limited resources: “We reused gloves, had no safety syringes, and had to adjust our clinical habits. It taught me to be flexible and still provide safe, compassionate care.”
Living conditions were tough—bathing in the river, using a shed for a bathroom—but the impact outweighed the discomfort. “Every patient had a story. Some were fighting to survive one more day. Meeting them with kindness matters.”
GAIN’s Ongoing Mission
The Panama trip offered a rare opportunity to step beyond traditional clinical settings and experience healthcare in its rawest form. Students confronted health inequities firsthand, navigated cultural and structural barriers, and learned to provide care with compassion, adaptability, and critical thinking. It was an education not just in nursing, but in humanity.