Community Health Projects 

NURS 462/3 & 472/3: Nursing Community & Nursing Community Interactions I & II

Purpose of this Assignment: The purpose of the community health projects (Healthy People Presentation, Clinical Application Papers 1&2, and CH poster presentation) are to guide the student through the process a complete community health initiative. First, the student identifies and applies national level key health indicators and applying them to a community aggregate. Next, the student builds partnerships with stakeholders and community members and applies the nursing process to promote health and well-being. The final part of the project allows students to experience scholarly dissemination of their original projects.

Student Approach to Assignment: Throughout both Community Health I & II, my group did extensive research on oral health in low-income communities. We used our research to provide education to low-income families associated with ForKids on proper oral health. Collaborating with this community through drives, dental clinics, and trunk-or-treat events gave us the opportunity to educate the community through flyers.  

Reason for Inclusion of the Assignment in the Portfolio: I decided to include these assignments in my portfolio to demonstrate how I use my nursing skills in a community setting. The papers, along with the poster presentation, showed my ability to work with a group while serving a low-income community. I also demonstrate how I use research to extend my nursing care. 

• Domain 2, 3: Person-Centered Care, Population Health
  • End of program learning outcome 10: Demonstrates an awareness of cultural preferences and complementary modalities and their usefulness in promoting health. (Domains 2, 3) (2.2,2.3,2.4,3.4).
    • In the Community Health II paper, my group discussed the benefits we noticed when free clinical services are provided with culturally competent care. When cultural preferences are taken into consideration, we notice improvements in the oral health of low-income populations. When interacting with community members, we educated them on complementary modalities, such as nutrition, to support gum health and prevent tooth decay.   
  • End of program learning outcome 13: Evaluates nursing care outcomes through the acquisition of data and the questioning of inconsistencies. (Domains 2, 3) (2.2,2.3,2.4,3.4).
    • My group evaluated dental health outcomes by having members of our community complete a pre-quiz and a post-quiz after we provided the teaching. The majority of this community scored the same before and after education. During the conversation, many people in the community said they liked the teaching and found it helpful. 
• Domain 2, 7: System-Based Practice
  • End of program learning outcome 19: Provides teaching to patients and/or professionals about health care procedures and technologies in preparation for and following nursing or medical interventions. (Domains 2, 7) (2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 7.1, 7.3)
    • We provided the ForKids community with flyers that explain the correct way to brush and floss your teeth. The flyers also included pictures to accommodate all levels of health literacy. The members of this community were able to take the flyers home if they wished to help them apply the knowledge outside of the clinical setting. 
• Domain 5, 8: Quality and Safety, Informatics and Healthcare Technologies
  • End of program learning outcome 30: Accesses and utilizes data and information from a wide range of sources to evaluate patient safety and care outcomes. (Domains 5, 8) (5.1, 5.2, 8.1, 8.5)
    • We used data and information from a wide range of sources by administering pre- and post-quizzes to members of the ForKids community. We did this over multiple days; therefore, no patient took the quiz twice. Doing this allowed us to see where improvements in participants’ knowledge were needed, and to judge whether our educational printouts were helpful. 
• Domain 8 Informatics and Healthcare Technologies
  • End of program learning outcome 40: Use evidence-based patient teaching materials, considering health literacy, vision, hearing, and cultural sensitivity. (Domain 8) (8.1, 8.5)
    • When developing our oral health education flyers, we made sure we used current best practices and presented them in clear, simple language. Pictures were also included for the community members with low health literacy. Our teaching approach was delivered in both verbal and visual formats to accommodate individuals with hearing or visual impairments.