Service-Learning Experiences for undergraduate nursing students: Health Programs for vulnerable populations in S.E. North Carolina

Background and Issues: Service learning models can provide valuable public health experiences for undergraduate nursing students. This program is a partnership between the local housing authority and school of nursing to provide students direct opportunities to work with diverse and low income clients and help the agency to meet specific requirements of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Program Description : Students are placed with a clinical instructor at one or more local housing authority residential communities. Working with the housing authority staff and residential leaders, clients and families self identified to participate in the program, which included home visits health fairs, targeted teaching projects, and culminated with students providing a “healthy heart” Thanksgiving dinner for the residents. Additionally, nursing students provided residents with health literature, referrals to community resources, delivery of health maintenance supplies Lessons Learned: Students participated in focus groups with residents from each site that we had provided services. Results from resident Focus Groups were very positive, while students also felt that they had grown in their interpersonal skills, critical thinking skills, therapeutic communication skills, and nursing knowledge, skills, and abilities. They felt that their services had a very positive impact on resident's health outcomes. Recommendations: Nursing programs should work to develop these types of partnerhips , which are mutually beneficial to both local housing authorities in meeting their required health promotion activities and to provide nursing students with valuable and meaningful experiences working with culturally diverse and vulnerable population groups.