Facilitating student achievement of entry-level public health nursing competencies through use of on-campus community assessment and health promotion intervention projects

It is a challenge to find enough community assessment and health promotion project clinical sites when dealing with large groups of students enrolled in a public health nursing course. It is also a challenge to provide the supervision and assistance these students need when completing their projects. Finally, it is a challenge to find projects that peak student interest, provide them with a real life opportunity to practice public health nursing at the community and systems level of practice, and develop entry-level competencies in public health nursing. One solution is to have students partner with on-campus departments and staff to carry out focused community assessment and health promotion intervention projects. Faculty at a private university in the mid-west built on faculty-staff campus partnerships and campus-wide initiatives to develop student learning experiences that met student learning needs and facilitated student achievement of entry-level public health nursing competencies. Projects met the mission and goals of the university and fit within existing campus priorities. The planning, implementation, and evaluation of several projects will be discussed including: student nutrition, physical fitness, stress and coping, and spirituality and infectious disease management in the campus daycare. Lessons learned about key elements needed for effective student learning, integration of projects into the life of the university, and sustainable efforts will be addressed. Recommendation for integration of student projects into campus life and integration of campus initiatives into the nursing curriculum will be discussed. The need for faculty involvement in university-level initiatives and committees is addressed.