School of Nursing donating equipment to college in Kenya

The Pitt School of Nursing is helping nursing students on the other side of the world improve their learning experience in labs and classrooms by donating equipment and books.

St. Paul’s University College of Health Sciences in Kenya has seen its student population steadily rise over the past three years, which has brought a need to expand and equip their teaching and learning facilities.

“Procurement of medical equipment and resources has proved very expensive for the school, which is only four years old,” said Susan Wanja, dean for St. Paul’s University College of Health Sciences and head of the nursing department.

Pitt Nursing’s Julius Kitutu, associate dean for student affairs and alumni relations and chief diversity officer, has organized book donation drives for Kenya for years. This time, he wanted to do something bigger.

In November 2022, a team from Pitt, composed of Ariel Armony, vice chancellor for global studies; Catherine Koverola, interim director of the Center for African Studies; Macrina Lelei, associate director of the Center for African Studies; and Kitutu visited St. Paul’s University. “When we asked the students what they needed, they said they had nothing to practice their skill set with,” Kitutu said.

Kitutu reached out to School of Nursing faculty members to see what could be donated to St. Paul’s, and the faculty responded. Eleven microscopes, slides, bulbs, coverslips and lens paper, 25 blood pressure cuffs, 25 stethoscopes and five teaching stethoscopes sitting in storage will head around the world and have a new life.

“We’ve had this equipment for years, and they were just sitting there taking up space,” said Pitt Nursing assistant professor and director of the Science Education Labs, Jake Dechant. “When I was told students could use them, I said absolutely. This equipment will now help train hundreds if not thousands of students.”

“The donated medical equipment will improve access to skills-training infrastructure and improve the skills gap that currently exists due to inadequate training resources, and which can impact patient care negatively,” Wanja said. “The equipment will also improve the learning experience for the students in the laboratories and improve their skills performance in the clinical area.”

The equipment will arrive in Kenya in June. Pitt Nursing is also donating two microscopes to Kitunduni High School in Matinyani District, Kitui County.

From the School of Nursing website