In the heart of a small African village, the nursing student cared for her young patient in a makeshift medical clinic.

The little boy suffered from an upper respiratory infection, but until the nurse missionaries arrived, his condition had never been diagnosed or treated.

His mother stood nearby thanking God for answering her prayers and sending the nurses to help her son and the other children in the village.

For students in the family nurse practitioner program at Baylor University in Dallas, serving on missions is part of the course curriculum as well as an opportunity to fulfill their divine calling.

Amy Roberts, Ph.D., FNP, RN, a senior lecturer and coordinator of the FNP program at the university’s Louise Harrington School of Nursing, prepares students to work as missionaries. A family nurse practitioner who worked for 17 years in international settings and lived in Africa for five years, Roberts is uniquely qualified her to address the educational needs of missionary nurses.

The daughter of a minister, Roberts grew up surrounded by missionaries. Their stories and passion for their work served as her inspiration.

“I realized I had the gift of helping patients heal, combined with a true love for people,” Roberts said.

While working on her master’s degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Roberts wrote a thesis on the educational needs of missionary nurses.

“I chose my thesis topic because I wished this kind of training had been available before I embarked on my own missionary work in Africa,” Roberts said.

The thesis soon became a reality at Baylor University’s nursing school.

The FNP program, now in its fifth year at Baylor, is unique because several nursing skills used in the international setting typically are not taught in American nursing schools.

“Nurses who work the international circuit need to have advanced practice skills,” Roberts said. “International nurses have to be able to diagnose and prescribe, as well as treat minor trauma.”

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