As Iowa communities face a shortage of nurses, one program in the College of Nursing is attempting to help fill that shortage while also giving their students valuable professional development and community engagementexperience. The Community and Public Health Nursing Practicum, approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing, places students in community organizations that provide public health care across the state of Iowa. While most students are partnered with organizations in Johnson and Washington counties, the College of Nursing regularly places students taking classes remotely at organizations closer to home and even abroad.
As a required course in the undergraduate nursing program, the practicum involves assessing a target population, defining the needs of that population, and then creating a project to help meet those needs. Some examples include:
- creating and distributing written information about potential symptoms to patients receiving their second COVID-19 vaccine
- providing education about the flu vaccine (pictured in the image to the right)
- staffing a free blood pressure clinic at a local food bank
- administering blood pressure and foot checks at the Shelter House of Iowa City
- giving free medical care at IC Compassion through the Mobile Clinic (pictured below)
Theresa Bechtel, DNP, RN, PCCN, CNE, is a faculty member in the College of Nursing and teaches in the practicum. She says a key benefit of the practicum is that students feel more connected to the local community. Many nursing students are familiar working with the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, , but the practicum showcases the variety of community organizations that can benefit from partnerships with the College of Nursing. It also gives students the opportunity to work with vulnerable populations in Iowa and fill gaps in health care and public health services. Betchel says the practicum strives to meet community partners where they are, developing projects that advance mutually shared goals and objectives. Practicum faculty are continually looking for new partners while ensuring past partner relationships are sustained.
Nursing students who completed the practicum indicate that working with these community organizations helps them better understand the broad impact of nursing. One senior nursing student who worked with a group of young teenagers at the Iowa City Public Library said “I really enjoyed teaching kids about health and the spinal anatomy. Kids have a way of making you really feel that you had made a difference.” Another senior student who worked with Systems Unlimited, a non-profit organization that serves people with disabilities, said “I think that is what I love about working with people with disabilities - everyone is different and it is so important to get to know and understand each individuals needs and how to best care for them in the community.”
Most recently, students are assisting with the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in Johnson, Linn, and Washington counties (pictured below). Through the Community and Public Health Nursing Practicum, nursing students are not only advancing their education, they are serving the public health needs of Iowa communities and making a difference in the lives of Iowans.