Newtown resident and Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) senior Eirenie Athanasoulis reflected recently on a trip she took to Peru as a nursing student.

“I wanted to do this because I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to expand my world view on healthcare,” said Eirenie on November 23.

Eirenie, who graduated from Newtown High School in 2019, went to Peru for a service learning experience sponsored by SCSU’s College of Health and Human Services at the end of October. SCSU announced the trip in November.

According to the school, Eirenie was one of multiple students on the trip who participated in experimental learning in areas such as global health, providing care to underserved populations, and learning about different healthcare systems. Students from SCSU’s College of Health and Human Services travel each year to provide healthcare to those who otherwise would not have access to it.

Eirenie shared that the trip lasted ten days and included visiting Cusco and areas in Peru. She went to established clinics and helped set up new clinics.

The experience, Eirenie said, highlighted the difference between healthcare in the United States and healthcare in Peru.

“We have a lot more resources and education on transmission and bacteria,” said Eirenie, reflecting on the differences she noted between the United States and Peru.

Getting to some of the areas where the group set up clinics was tricky, according to Eirenie. The areas were in mountains with high altitudes and at times the roads “weren’t really developed.”

The group brought a lot of medical supplies with them, Eirenie shared. Where they were visiting, there are no pharmacies or ways to generally access basic healthcare items. So the group brought things like children’s multivitamins, pain medicine, and tooth brushes.

“Setting up the clinics was my favorite part,” said Eirenie.

As part of her visit, Eirenie showed local children how to brush their teeth with the toothbrushes and toothpaste the group brought. Out of the 60 children she helped, one child told Eirenie that they had brushed their teeth before. A dentist also went with the group for the trip and offered what medical care could be conducted at the site.

Eirenie noted that the environment was not as sanitary as it is in the United States, and while she knows the healthcare system in the United States could be improved, the trip made her grateful for what is available.

Along with helping to provide dental care, Eirenie also helped with pharmaceutical care. She filled prescriptions after traveling SCSU nurse practitioner students conducted health assessments and diagnoses.

“I wish there was a way to stay and make it more of a continuous thing,” Eirenie shared.

With the trip over and behind her by a couple weeks, Eirenie said she is already thinking of trying to do a similar type of trip in the future.

“It definitely was one of the best experiences of my life,” said Eirenie. Later she added, “I would say the whole experience really grounded me.”

With the second half of her senior year at college ahead of her, Eirenie is thinking about all of her possible career options after graduating. She enjoys a range of areas in the health care field, and she is still open to multiples of them.

Overall, Eirenie said she is grateful she had the experience of traveling to Peru and Cusco.

Education Editor Eliza Van can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.