BTN
“I Can Be a Nurse!
Student Outreach Project
The 2007-2008 Breakthrough to Nursing Project”
“This year, each member of the Breakthrough to Nursing Committee and a group from each chapter in the state will make contact with at least ten students at an elementary, middle or high school in their area. Student nurses (working with community resources like school nurses, nurses at local children’s hospitals and pediatrician’s offices) will teach age-appropriate information about hand-washing, nutrition, physical activity, injury prevention and the dangers of cigarette smoke. Student nurses (along with community resources) will also present age-appropriate information about what nurses do, the settings in which nurses work, and the educational requirements of nursing degrees.
The underlying message of this program is that nursing is an exciting, challenging and satisfying career with diverse work settings. Children will have a chance to see nurses as professional, energetic and diverse. Student nurses should be prepared to handle such common misperceptions as “only girls are nurses” and “nurses only do what doctors tell them” with positive information about increasing diversity within the profession and the intricate care that nurses are responsible for daily. Hands-on activities, interactive question-and-answer time and a welcoming atmosphere will be essential to the success of this project.
To plan an I Can Be a Nurse! Program, think about these key questions:
Who is the audience? (You may already have contacts at a local school. If not, school districts often have an administrator in charge of student health, and could be good contacts, as would directors of after school programs. Know the age of the kids you’ll be working with, and talk with their teachers to find out common fears of the age group and ways to tie the program into the curriculum.)
What do we want to say? (Have two or three clear ‘talking points’ about each topic. Ensure that you are giving factual information. Be very careful about using expressions or euphemisms – children take everything literally! Keep it brief – perhaps 20 minutes?)
How can we make it interesting? (Consider bringing props, such as personal protective gear, to demonstrate to the children why nurses may wear yellow gowns, and to remind them that there are still people behind those masks. Another good prop is needle-less syringes and colored liquid, to practice measuring and fine motor skills. An instant crowd pleaser is the stethoscope! Kids love listening to each other’s hearts, and many kids still have the idea that only doctors use stethoscopes. Bring plenty of alcohol pads for the earpieces!)
What can we bring with us to give away? (Johnson&Johnson sponsors a program called Discover Nursing, and they distribute free copies of an excellent coloring book titled You Can Be a Nurse in English and in Spanish. The website is www.discovernursing.com and you’ll click on the Free Materials link. Area hospitals and even your School of Nursing may have promotional materials like bandaids, bookmarks, stickers, pens, even stethoscopes! We’re working on buttons and coloring sheets to be distributed – email us to find out more!)
Who will write it up? (Plan on writing a brief description of what you did and submitting it to me, to the local media, and even to the director of your nursing school. Remember, there are scholarships available through many groups for well-written essays about service projects. An article will inspire others and make it easier for future groups. If you’ve heard once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: If it isn’t documented, it isn’t done. Toot your own horn – you deserve it!)
This project is based on the idea that each one of us can teach another. I look forward to learning from all of you. If you’ve already presented information about nursing or health care to children in your area, let me know so we can talk about what worked and what didn’t.
Please contact me if you have questions during planning, and remember to send me ideas or articles based on your program. Thanks so much!
Kati Bloedau, NCANS BTN Director
UNC-CH Class of 2008, BSN
bloedau@email.unc.edu
919-274-1270
A little background:
The goals of the Breakthrough to Nursing Program of National Student Nurses Association, Inc. is to increase the number of qualified students graduating from nursing schools, and to address concerns about adequacy of health care services for members of traditionally underserved groups, the need to increase the number of and opportunities available to health care providers from traditionally underrepresented demographic groups, and the need to provide opportunities for all nursing students to develop leadership skills. In keeping with those goals, the North Carolina Association of Nursing Students has formed a Breakthrough to Nursing Committee. Focusing on demographic groups that have traditionally underrepresented in the profession of nursing (including but not limited to people of ethnic color, men, second-degree and non-traditional students, people with disabilities and people with few material resources), this committee will work to identify and assist with meeting the needs of North Carolina students already in nursing or pre-nursing programs, and actively reach out to communities to recruit new students to nursing programs.
As the BTN director for NCANS in 2007-2008, I intend to:
- Draft and distribute the North Carolina BTN outreach project, I Can Be a Nurse!, through every avenue feasible.
- Establish a statewide database with chapter BTN chairs, media personnel, community members, and deans/directors of schools of nursing to be passed along to next year’s state BTN chair.
- Visit several schools across the state to discuss ways to increase diversity, cultural awareness and sensitivity among the nursing students within that school.
- Make personal contact with directors or deans of nursing programs at historically black colleges and universities in the state to discuss the perception of nursing as a profession and ways that NCANS could become more active in those schools.
Please contact me with ideas, questions, or concerns about any of these issues. Links to the NSNA’s BTN Project can be found at their website www.nsna.org. If you need further details about this year’s statewide project, I’d be thrilled to send you more materials and discuss the project with you! My hope is that we will build momentum as this year progresses, momentum from our many voices and experiences.
Kati Bloedau, NCANS BTN Director
UNC-CH Class of 2008, BSN
bloedau@email.unc.edu
919-274-1270
|
