Valerie spent nearly 10 years devoting her clinical skills to the operating room before deciding to transition into the classroom. Now serving as a lecturer at the School of Peri-operative and Critical Care Nursing in Ghana and acting as a facilitator with the Medium Stimulation Skills Institute (MSSI), her goal is to provide training for health professionals to upgrade their surgical skills through online and in-person practical training sessions.

For Valerie, safe surgery is non-negotiable. Her hope is that her influence increases the number of healthcare professionals caring for surgical patients.

“I won’t have this energy and strength all the days of my life, so I need to impact others,” she shared. “Surgery is already a stressful experience, and we need to have people ready to facilitate that experience so that, even though it’s difficult for the patients and their families, we alleviate this burden by offering them the best care they deserve.”

Valerie’s teaching style reaches beyond textbooks, prioritizing diagrams and hands-on, real-world scenarios. While taking an academic break and looking for opportunities to return to the operating room, deepen her knowledge of new trends, and strengthen her commitment to compassionate patient care, she found Mercy Ships.

Trained to Teach

In 2024, Valerie joined the Africa Mercy in Madagascar as an operating room nurse.

Valerie was immediately impressed with the seamless coordination in the care of patients, from pre-operation to the operating room to post-operation. It was even more remarkable to see this happen on a vessel with volunteers who share the same drive: to give their absolute best to patients.

“I could see that standard practice is top-notch here,” she said.

Valerie has now volunteered three times, making her way on board the Global Mercy twice in Sierra Leone. The hospital ships are similar to her classroom back home, filled with eager professionals ready to grow in their skills.

“I think I’ll go back again and learn more and more, if I have the opportunity,” she said, “so that my students also get first-hand information on the new trends that come up in the care of surgical patients.”

Though she has enjoyed learning more about hospital protocols, one of the most rewarding parts of serving with Mercy Ships has been meeting with the patients themselves.

“The patients come in usually looking hopeless. But when the surgery is done, and I visit them back at the post-op area, I can see hope and a revived person once again. Like they are reborn again,” she shared. “I want to be part of that experience, in bringing hope and healing to others, especially to those who are less privileged. I’m ready to sacrifice my talents and my knowledge to also help contribute my quota to that mission.”

The Ripple Effect

And Valerie’s efforts have already had a ripple effect back home. Gabriel, in his final year as one of Valerie’s students, has been pursuing his own BSc degree in Accra, Ghana’s capital. He fondly described her as one of his favorite lecturers and dreams of being in a place like hers, saving lives as an expert in his field.

“The way she delivers her teaching…her messages are always clear. She teaches with illustrations, giving us examples,” explained Gabriel. “You are helping save a life because you train those who are going to work. And if you don’t have it, you can’t give it.”

One day, Gabriel hopes his experience will be enough so that he can become a nurse educator, just like Valerie.

The Importance of Education and Training

Mercy Ships brings direct medical services to the nations it serves, but also medical capacity building through comprehensive training programs. By mentoring healthcare professionals, including surgical, anesthesia, nursing, dental, and biomedical students and residents, these programs are designed to leave a lasting impact even after a field service ends. 

“Long after the ship is gone, the training, the impact we have had on the people will still be utilized in bringing hope and healing,” Valerie said.

As the Global Mercy prepares to sail to Ghana’s Port of Tema, Mercy Ships is collaborating with the government of Ghana to identify key areas where its training programs, both on-ship and off-ship, can add immense value. Additionally, Mercy Ships is working with the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives to support their post-graduate training through placements on board the ship. 

If you want to be in a place where your skills not only bring hope and healing to those who need it most, but are also perfected for long-lasting impact back home, then Find Your Place On Board Today!