Season 2, Episode 1: The Calling of a Lifetime: Nursing with Mercy Ships

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Document Type

Podcast

Publication Date

2-3-2026

Description

What happens when your nursing career takes you thousands of miles away from the comforts of a local clinic and onto a floating hospital? In this episode, we sit down with Maria Brown, a CSP Nursing graduate who traded a traditional hospital setting for a cabin on a Mercy Ship.

Mercy Ships is a global humanitarian organization that operates state-of-the-art hospital vessels, bringing free, life-saving surgeries to nations with limited healthcare access. As a volunteer nurse, Maria works at the intersection of high-tech medicine and deep human connection.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • The Leap of Faith: What inspired Maria to transition from a student at CSP to a global healthcare volunteer. 
  • Education in Action: How her nursing training prepared her for the fast-paced, low-resource environments of West Africa. 
  • Life on Board: A "behind-the-scenes" look at the daily routine, the international community of volunteers, and the unique challenges of nursing at sea. 
  • Stories of Transformation: Maria shares heart-stirring accounts of patients whose lives were changed by the surgeries they received on board. 
  • Global Perspectives: Advice for current nursing students who feel called to humanitarian work and how to navigate cultural and language barriers with compassion.

Whether you are a nursing student looking for your "why," a healthcare professional curious about global missions, or simply someone who loves a story of radical service, Maria’s journey will leave you inspired to see the world—and your career—differently.

Key Takeaways

"The heart of nursing is the same everywhere, but on the ship, you realize just how much a single surgery can restore a person's place in their community." — Maria Brown

Rights

Recordings are the property of Concordia University, St. Paul and may be used for educational purposes only. Commercial use of these recordings is not permitted.

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