Morgan Hand is never in the same place for too long.
A flight nurse with Sanford AirMed, she calls Fargo, North Dakota home, but when she clocks in each day, she never knows where her shift will take her.
“One of my very first flights, we actually had to fly all the way out to the Montana border, and then fly that patient all the way to Rochester. It was basically a really big triangle. I want to say maybe seven, eight hours.
“With (Sanford) AirMed, we could transfer anywhere within the United States. We even do transports to Canada if it’s necessary. We can go pretty much anywhere,” Hand explained.
And she’s gone pretty much anywhere, even escaping the wind-cutting-right-through-ya Midwest winters for a much more temperate climate.
Empowering other nurses across the globe
Hand returned from a working trip to Costa Rica on Feb. 19. It was part of Sanford World Clinic’s newly launched Global Nurse Mentor Program, aimed at impacting health care across the globe.
In this program, which was launched at the beginning of 2022, providers like Hand share their skills and experiences with international providers.
“Really what it’s designed to do is to take nurses within the Sanford system and mentor nurses throughout our different partnerships throughout the world,” Hand said.
Hand was sent to Hospital Metropolitano, a hospital in San José, Costa Rica.
“With my World Clinic mentor, my person who I work with directly in the World Clinics, we decided pretty early on that trying to empower nurses and looking at the culture was going to involve me going there right away,” she said.
Always looking to get better
Hand spoke highly of the already existing care at Hospital Metropolitano, saying, “their foundation is already there.”
She added the providers at Hospital Metropolitano keep their egos at the door and only focus on what’s best for the patient.
“A lot of the workers, whether it’s physicians or the nurses, they want to grow. They want Sanford’s help. So, that was really enlightening to see that they wanted me there. Even if you are the best health care in the world, you could still grow and learn,” she said.
Hand said it’s humbling that Hospital Metropolitano asked to partner with Sanford Health.
“A couple of their physicians have worked here in the United States. Their chief medical officer trained in the Twin Cities. So, he had known about Sanford. They saw that Sanford had grown and has done all these things with quality and safety, really helping them be one of the best. They saw that and said, ‘We want to take that in and be just like them,’” she said.
Hand will participate in the mentor program for the rest of 2022.
Reaching beyond Costa Rica
Initially, Hand was excited about growing health care in Costa Rica. Once she was there, she realized just how much of a reach Hospital Metropolitano has.
“There’s actually a lot of different patients that they serve from around the world. There was a patient there from Argentina. I got to talk to a family that was from Canada that actually had to have a procedure done while they were there.
“So, it’s not only impacting Costa Rica, but it’s truly impacting multiple countries around the world,” she said.
Hand said she considers the Global Nurse Mentorship Program a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I love that Sanford’s doing this. It’s a really good partnership. I think we all went into health care to help people get better. To do that on a global scale is something that honestly, I can’t really put into words.”
Learn more
- Innovations podcast: World Clinic makes lasting health care changes
- Sanford inspires drive-thru COVID-19 testing in Costa Rica
- Inaugural mentorship program takes Sanford nurse to Ghana
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Posted In Emergency Medicine, Nursing and Nursing Support, World Clinic
