Online Program

331885
Taking the Classroom out on Wheels: Community Ties Bike Ride


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Paula McNiel, DNP, RN, APHN-BC, College of Nursing, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI
A new teaching approach was designed for the nursing student clinical curriculum to demonstrate the importance of organized community health efforts with government and private organization involvement.  To engage students in active learning, a ten mile bike ride was developed, to integrate course objectives with interactions and experiences outside of the classroom.  As health care costs continue to rise, non-traditional health care assets such as parks and trails, cultural amenities, social gathering locations and smart growth policies are being revisited in a new light.  The bike ride experiential learning technique was integrated into the community clinical to highlight how the built environment has an effect on health.  The core public health functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance were highlighted at seven discussion stops along the way.

The “on-the-trail” experience provided students with real life examples and the need for multidisciplinary approaches to address the health of a community.  Students developed an appreciation of the importance of community health planning throughout the ride and in dialog with invited community experts from the local city planning office, health department, and regional planning commission.  During the seven stops students recognized and analyzed how land use development, community design, and transportation systems affect the health and quality of life in a community. This moving class room activity was highly evaluated by students and was not only fun but provided physical activity and burned calories. The experience helped demonstrate the important role students can have in the future health of their community.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related education
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Explain the procedure for developing a community bike hike for community nursing students. List five potential stopping points for a community bike ride that demonstrate the importance of the built environment and its effect on health.

Keyword(s): Public Health Curricula & Competencies, Community-Based Partnership & Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I teach Community/Public Health nursing theory and clinical at the undergraduate level and clinical prevention and epidemiology at the graduate level. I have extensive experience in occupational health, community/public health, health promotion, geriatrics, and partnership development. I am currently a MidAmerica Regional Public Health Leadership Institute (MARPHLI)fellow. I have served on numerous national, state and local boards. I am President of Sigma Theta Tau International Eta Pi Chapter and coordinate the Scholarship Day on campus.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.