Friday, May 31, 2024
CVTC nursing students learn as they teach
Nursing is more than recording blood pressure, starting an IV and giving medications.
Jen Scheller, who is set to enter her last semester of the nursing program at Chippewa Valley Technical College, said nursing is about patients. Learning how to interact with the community, and in the end, being able to educate people on health care situations that could help those people throughout their lives is also a part of nursing.
With that in mind, Scheller, Carmyn Hanson, Tony Bell, Mackensy Kolpien and Aubrey Wardall, who all expect to graduate in December with associate degrees in nursing from CVTC, took their required 16 hours of community service and poured them into a collaboration with Hope Gospel Mission, recently.
The project was completed as part of the students’ Intermediate Clinical Practice course. In addition to presenting the information, they also completed research on each of their topics.
Scheller said that the students used their knowledge of emergency health care and the diverse experiences of people at Hope Gospel Mission, a community that helps those struggling with homelessness and addiction through Christ-centered support, to create a useful presentation for the mission's residents.
“Our goal was to equip them with the tools to feel confident in their abilities and knowledge in case they ever found themselves in an emergency bystander situation,” Scheller said.
Their project aimed to answer the question: What can individuals without medical training do in emergency situations, and how can the nursing students empower individuals to feel confident in those situations?
The students also addressed the possible mental health effects and provided resources to help.
Scheller and the other students trained the individuals to handle common emergency situations like hands-only CPR, Narcan administration, use of the Dechoker and AED training. The training was meant to provide information only and was not a certification course, Scheller said.
“Our commitment was to provide accurate and honest information to the community organization participants while adhering to schedules, communicating effectively and utilizing proper resources,” she said. “Our ultimate goal was to ensure that the information we shared was accessible and understandable to all, regardless of medical background. This way, our participants could feel confident in providing safe and effective care in emergencies.”
Dawn Barone, nursing instructor for this group of students, said she was impressed with their research, presentation and collaboration.
“This group of students worked so hard to put together the education and presentation pieces for the residents of Hope Gospel Mission,” Barone said. “I am proud of the hard work, teamwork and dedication to the topic they have had on top of their difficult course studies. I think they have bonded forever through this fantastic project.”
The project gave valuable information to people at Hope Gospel Mission, but it also was a learning opportunity for the students.
Scheller said it helped her group improve communication and teaching skills essential for interacting with future patients.
“Collaborating with individuals from diverse backgrounds in a group setting is crucial in developing the interpersonal skills necessary for our future professional environments,” she said. “We’ve gained a better understanding of the community organization we partnered with and deepened our knowledge of the resources available in our local area.
“This new-found awareness will enable us to better inform and support patients and their families by connecting them with valuable community resources.”
