A Samoan girl walks into an operating room, silent tears streaming down her face.
The child has never been in an operating room before. Her parents, who have brought her here, don’t look very comfortable, either.
The child, around age six, has only visited a doctor’s office twice — in her life — and never a surgical centre before.
The girl has trouble eating, difficulty speaking and frequent painful infections. These are only a few of the issues she faces.
Kids point at her and taunt her when they see her; she hates the way she looks in the mirror; she won’t go to school.
A nurse assures her family everything will be OK and, with a confident smile, gets the crying girl to smile, just a little.
While the nurse takes the girl’s vitals — in the calm, routine way that comes with years of experience — the girl visibly starts to relax.
Though still uncertain, the girl begins to notice the surgeon and his team around her smiling, busy at work, but smiling.
The girl has a cleft palate, which can look frightening, but which a simple surgery can begin to repair most times.
The nurse leads the child into prep for surgery; she’ll be there when the girl gets out, too.
The nurse silently nods, and the child nods back. Everything will be OK.
This is why we owe so much to our nurses because our nurses give so much to those they serve.
Interplast nurses not only serve individuals, but also the communities, countries, and cultures they touch
Our volunteer nurses travel the world. They meet people from vastly different cultures and circumstances. They work with the most competent and successful medical professionals in the region. Most importantly, however, Interplast nurses serve a higher purpose.
Our volunteers help enhance local medical resources, leaving the communities they serve better able to support the long-term needs of their constituents. Our volunteers find this work so rewarding that many of them return year after year — or as often as their circumstances allow — to continue Interplast’s mission which has also become their own.
Interplast nurses use their talents to heal individuals, families, and communities; they bridge the gap between cultures and economies; they transform the globe into a community, and they help the people they touch feel empowered to do the same.
First and foremost, Interplast is an organisation of volunteers, and that’s why we take the time now to pause and thank each and every one of our nurse volunteers for the vital work they do on behalf of Interplast for all the individuals and communities we serve.
Nurses have risen to the occasion to answer our need for volunteers — and we couldn’t be more pleased!
Nurses in Australia and New Zealand have more than answered the demand. As a result, Interplast not only has virtually every nurse volunteer positioned filled but also has ample qualified candidates standing by to fill newly opened positions as they arise. Interplast can’t express enough gratitude to those who are currently in the field or standing by to be.
However, we continue to encourage interested candidates to review our volunteer guidelines, determine if they qualify and apply if they do to continue to keep Interplast ready to serve its constituents as new and greater needs arise. New requirements regularly present themselves, and by applying you can help ensure that Interplast remains capable and ready in the future.
You can find Interplast’s nurse requirements here as well as instructions on how to apply. Whether you apply or not, we thank you for all you do, every day, to comfort, heal and inspire those in your care.
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