Community Health and Minority Reflection
This spring semester I was enrolled in the Honors Community Health and Minorities course. This class was focused on learning about the various dynamics that play a role in a community’s health such as the epidemiology of diseases, the use and impact of various drugs, and how the United States Health Care System is run. Half of our course was spent in the class room learning about this information, while the other half was spent at the CCAT House. The CCAT House is located in downtown Cincinnati and is an inpatient facility where people with drug or alcohol addictions can come for rehab. During our time at the CCAT House we were educated on health topics such as proper hand hygiene and how to perform a urine drug test. We also had the opportunity to interact with some of the patients and speak with a few doctors and nurses to learn about their experience while working at CCAT. Through taking the Honors Minority Health class, I gained a very valuable experience, and I was able to learn many new things that I will be able to carry with me while working as a nurse.
As a nursing student, I had previously taken a Community Health course. I was taught about the crucial role of community health nurses and how impactful they can be on the overall health of a community, along with how important educating community members can be. I had found this topic to be very interesting and wanted to expand my knowledge on this subject so I chose to take the Honors Community Health and Minorities course. Although some of the class material was similar to what I had previously learned, the subject matter that we were taught was more in depth in this Honors class. I also learned about very useful topics such as the United States Health Care System. The knowledge that I gained in this course not only reinforced what I had previously learned, but it also gave me firsthand experience of working with community members and provided me with a better understanding on topics such as drug addictions. In looking back on my choice to enroll in this Honors class, I am very happy with my decision and I have gained a great experience for my future work as a nurse.
I was able to experience and see many different aspects of the CCAT House while down at the facility. During my first few trips, I was educated about and shown demonstrations on the proper way to wash your hands and how to conduct urine drug tests. Being a nursing student, I was already aware of the proper technique for these procedures, but it was still beneficial for me to discuss this information and each of the steps involved in the processes. We also watched a video regarding patient confidentiality. This is a very important aspect to be aware of when working in the health care field because if proper patient confidentiality measures are not followed, law suits can be made and health care professional could lose their positions or professional license.
During the classes I attended later in the semester at CCAT, we began interacting with the patients and other staff members. We did so by visiting the suboxone clinic, the men’s and women’s units, and by holding educational sessions for the patients. I was able to visit the suboxone clinic twice, the women’s unit once, and helped to put on two educational sessions for the patients at CCAT, in addition to a class presentation that we did on men’s and women’s health. Also towards the end of the semester when the class went down to the CCAT house, the nurse who had worked with us throughout the semester demonstrated how through interviewing a patient and reviewing their health history, the ways in which a nursing diagnosis and health care plan is then developed. I personally found this part of my experience at CCAT to be one of my favorites. As a nursing student, this is something that I am continuing to learn how to do. I have gained experience in developing nursing diagnoses by conducting examples in the class room and with real patients in clinical, but being able to practice this in another setting was very interesting and I was able to learn new things through this experience.
In looking back and reflecting on this class, I can see that I was able to gain a lot from this experience. In going to the CCAT house once a week, and after being directly immersed into the inner city, my eyes were opened to different aspects of community life that I was not aware of previously. I was able to see the affect that drugs and alcohol can have on an individual, and I learned about how addictions can also affect one’s family members (parents, siblings, or kids) and financial situation. I was able to witness firsthand many of the things I had learned about in class this semester, in addition to what I have learned over the years in nursing school. I was also able to put to practice some of my nursing skills while at the facility, and I grew more confident in my analytical abilities. This was the first time that I had really been immersed in a community like this, but I am certain that is was very beneficial for my own personal growth and development. I truly enjoyed my time that I spent at the CATT house during this class, and I believe that it will aid me in my future while working as a nurse.
I have chosen to attach the PowerPoints that my group presented at the CCAT house to the patients in order to demonstrate some of the work I did in this class. The educational sessions that we put on turned out to be very beneficial. All of the clients really enjoyed attending our presentations and looked forward to them each week. It was a great experience to be able to share my knowledge and educate members of our community.
As a nursing student, I had previously taken a Community Health course. I was taught about the crucial role of community health nurses and how impactful they can be on the overall health of a community, along with how important educating community members can be. I had found this topic to be very interesting and wanted to expand my knowledge on this subject so I chose to take the Honors Community Health and Minorities course. Although some of the class material was similar to what I had previously learned, the subject matter that we were taught was more in depth in this Honors class. I also learned about very useful topics such as the United States Health Care System. The knowledge that I gained in this course not only reinforced what I had previously learned, but it also gave me firsthand experience of working with community members and provided me with a better understanding on topics such as drug addictions. In looking back on my choice to enroll in this Honors class, I am very happy with my decision and I have gained a great experience for my future work as a nurse.
I was able to experience and see many different aspects of the CCAT House while down at the facility. During my first few trips, I was educated about and shown demonstrations on the proper way to wash your hands and how to conduct urine drug tests. Being a nursing student, I was already aware of the proper technique for these procedures, but it was still beneficial for me to discuss this information and each of the steps involved in the processes. We also watched a video regarding patient confidentiality. This is a very important aspect to be aware of when working in the health care field because if proper patient confidentiality measures are not followed, law suits can be made and health care professional could lose their positions or professional license.
During the classes I attended later in the semester at CCAT, we began interacting with the patients and other staff members. We did so by visiting the suboxone clinic, the men’s and women’s units, and by holding educational sessions for the patients. I was able to visit the suboxone clinic twice, the women’s unit once, and helped to put on two educational sessions for the patients at CCAT, in addition to a class presentation that we did on men’s and women’s health. Also towards the end of the semester when the class went down to the CCAT house, the nurse who had worked with us throughout the semester demonstrated how through interviewing a patient and reviewing their health history, the ways in which a nursing diagnosis and health care plan is then developed. I personally found this part of my experience at CCAT to be one of my favorites. As a nursing student, this is something that I am continuing to learn how to do. I have gained experience in developing nursing diagnoses by conducting examples in the class room and with real patients in clinical, but being able to practice this in another setting was very interesting and I was able to learn new things through this experience.
In looking back and reflecting on this class, I can see that I was able to gain a lot from this experience. In going to the CCAT house once a week, and after being directly immersed into the inner city, my eyes were opened to different aspects of community life that I was not aware of previously. I was able to see the affect that drugs and alcohol can have on an individual, and I learned about how addictions can also affect one’s family members (parents, siblings, or kids) and financial situation. I was able to witness firsthand many of the things I had learned about in class this semester, in addition to what I have learned over the years in nursing school. I was also able to put to practice some of my nursing skills while at the facility, and I grew more confident in my analytical abilities. This was the first time that I had really been immersed in a community like this, but I am certain that is was very beneficial for my own personal growth and development. I truly enjoyed my time that I spent at the CATT house during this class, and I believe that it will aid me in my future while working as a nurse.
I have chosen to attach the PowerPoints that my group presented at the CCAT house to the patients in order to demonstrate some of the work I did in this class. The educational sessions that we put on turned out to be very beneficial. All of the clients really enjoyed attending our presentations and looked forward to them each week. It was a great experience to be able to share my knowledge and educate members of our community.
comm_health_presentation-_hiv__aids.pptx | |
File Size: | 127 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
womens_health.pptx | |
File Size: | 3323 kb |
File Type: | pptx |