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Nursing students travel to Kentucky to learn culture, care |
| By
Jim Winkler |
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May 5, 2008 |
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More than 80 years ago, Mary Breckinridge and her Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) rode horses across the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to deliver babies and bring health care to those who needed it most.
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| Dr. Joan Moon, associate professor of nursing, right, posed for a photo with students enrolled in the master’s nursing degree Clinical Nurse Leader Program during their weeklong visit to Hyden, Ky. |
Ten students enrolled in UT’s master’s nursing degree Clinical Nurse Leader Program spent a week during spring semester working in the same spirit of the nursing icon, helping people living in a region burdened by health-care disparities.
The students, enrolled in a capstone field experience course that incorporated nursing practice, research and service learning facilitated by Dr. Joan Moon, associate professor of nursing, worked in clinics and at a hospital operated by the FNS in Hyden, Ky., a tiny community with a population of some 250 people.
They educated elementary-school girls and young men and women enrolled in a biology class at a local community college about the menstrual cycle and gathered data in women’s health-care clinics about patients’ knowledge of the menstrual cycle. Studies show many women know surprisingly little about how their menstrual cycle works and its effect on their health and health-care decision-making.
For Moon, whose research interest is menstrual-cycle education, and the students, the trip was another “textbook” from which to learn, an educational tool that got the UT faculty member and students out of the classroom and into the real world.
Even before they graduate, UT College of Nursing students help to meet the needs of the community through experiential-learning and service-learning experiences that take them outside the classroom, give them hands-on experience, and benefit the larger community, explained Moon, a longtime service-learning and experiential-teaching method proponent.
“Nurses do not act in a vacuum,” Moon said. “The very essence of their being is caring for others. I believe that the way we allow students to grow in their role as a nurse is to provide them with opportunities to give of themselves, to discover who they are in that process, and flourish as a result not only as a nurse, but as a human being.”
To prepare for the trip, the students last fall read
Wide Neighborhoods, a book that chronicled the life of Breckinridge, whose influence can still be seen today as the FNS operates the Frontier School of Nurse-Midwifery and Family Nursing, a 25-bed hospital named for the nursing pioneer, and five regional maternity-health centers in the Kentucky hill country.
Some of the problems the students saw in Kentucky can’t be found in textbooks or case studies. Appalachia continues to struggle with the poor health of its residents, and the region suffers from high rates of deaths from cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Economically, the region lags behind the rest of the nation with high levels of unemployment, low incomes and education deficits.
For their instructional sessions, the nursing students used a computer-based, multimedia module on the menstrual cycle, “A Woman’s World: Discovering the Dynamic Menstrual Cycle,” which was created seven years ago by Moon, Dr. Carlos Baptista, UT associate professor of neurosciences, and UT’s Center for Creative Instruction. The module has been refined in recent years with support from the Center for Teaching and Learning and the College of Nursing Florence Nightingale Fund.
“My intent in Kentucky was to study the effectiveness of the module for patient education,” said Moon, who analyzed the module’s effect on patients’ knowledge of the menstrual cycle for her dissertation.
Moon gave talks on concepts of the ethic of care to physicians, nurses and others at Mary Breckinridge Hospital, and the students shared their experiences about hospital care they received or had given. Members of the Hazard Community College Bluegrass Music Department honored the UT contingent at a concert that included Appalachian selections with a health-care theme.
The students said the trip was satisfying and educational, with the best part being the interaction with local people who graciously welcomed them and learning about Appalachian lifestyles and culture.
“I think just having an experience with a diverse population made us more prepared for nursing in a variety of settings,” said Caitlain Alcox. “Plus, the bluegrass was just plain fun.”
Tricia Stampflmeier said she gained a greater appreciation of different cultures, lifestyles and communities.
“The trip was a fun way to get knows some of my classmates better, and we had a chance to explore a new community,” she said. “We saw yet another area in which nurses can work and make a difference.”
Anne Marie Taulbee said she benefited from interaction with residents. “They showed us another perspective of life that we do not always see in Toledo,” she said.
“We formed a strong team that accomplished many goals,” Moon said. “I love seeing ideas come to fruition. This has been an example how it is possible to actualize a goal by taking the necessary steps, working through problems as they arise, capitalizing on strong communications skills, being honest with students and listening to their concerns. The students not only grew, but I grew as well from this experience. The students have left an impact with people in the community who will continue to welcome us to the area.”
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