The College of Nursing at Villanova University announces that, after a rigorous process, it has been selected as a Peace Corps Fellows/USA Program site by the United States Peace Corps.
Through this exciting new partnership, the College will welcome returned Peace Corps volunteers to campus. The goal of the Peace Corps Fellows/USA program is to give the returned volunteers an opportunity as Fellows to continue working with underserved populations in a domestic setting while engaging in formal study to advance their own career. Fellows may choose nursing as a second career and enroll in the College’s accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program for college graduates with degrees in other fields. For Fellows who are already nurses with a bachelor’s degree, there is the option to enroll in the College’s Graduate Program in a specialty such as nurse anesthesia, nurse practitioner, nursing education or health care administration.
“I can’t think of a better way to honor the University and College commitment to human service and the nurturing of a global community than to initiate a Peace Corps Fellows/USA program here at the College of Nursing. Launching it during the Peace Corps’s 50th Anniversary year makes it even more exciting,” says Kim Connolly, M.P.H., R.N., director of the College’s Center for Global and Public Health and the new Peace Corps Fellows/USA coordinator. Connolly is a veteran of the Peace Corps, having served in Niger, West Africa.
The Fellows’ education is enriched by the internship serving an underserved population where they can continue to apply the experience they gained living and working overseas. The College of Nursing has a variety of collaborating community organizations to use as sites. In addition, Fellows will participate in professional seminars with other nursing student leaders, will present their Peace Corps experience to other Villanova students, and will partner with faculty mentors to achieve career goals.
For more information:
Kim Connolly, MPH, RN
Director, Center for Global and Public Health and Peace Corps Fellows/USA Coordinator
College of Nursing, Villanova University
kimberly.connolly@villanova.edu
http://www.villanova.edu/nursing/global
610-519-5902
Peace Corps information: www.peacecorps.gov
