9/27/14: "Fall Fling" Is Finally Here!!!

This final blog entry will highlight my Service Learning activity using the DEAL Model as a guiding format.

As described by Ash and Clayton ¹ (2004), the components of the DEAL Model are: to “describe the experiences”, “examine the experiences in light of the course specific learning goals or objectives” and “articulate the learning” (p. 41).

Service Learning Project for Fall 14 consisted of taking part in “Fall Fling” at Lake Superior State University on June 7, 2014.

Describe the Experience:

Where I served?

Lake Superior State University – Representing the School of Nursing

What does the agency do?

Established in 1946 to address the needs of returning World War II veterans and to provide educational opportunities to the people of the Eastern Upper Peninsula. Lake Superior State University still embodies the essence of the early days. A personal education in a safe and friendly environment remains a hallmark of today’s LSSU. ⁵

Our beautiful 115-acre campus overlooks the Michigan and Ontario twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, the St. Mary’s River, and the world famous Soo Locks. The school is located at the beginning of Interstate 75 which ends in the Florida Keys. ⁵

The campus served as Ft. Brady starting in 1894 after the fort was relocated from the banks of the St. Mary’s. The fort was deactivated in 1944 and, thanks to the efforts of local volunteers and leadership at Michigan College of Mining & Technology in Houghton, opened in the fall of that year as the Sault Ste. Marie Residence Center of MCMT. ⁵

The Sault Branch was rechristened Lake Superior State College of Michigan Technical University in 1966. Autonomy arrived for LSSC in 1970. University status was granted in 1987 to the state’s smallest public institution of higher learning. Enrollment has grown from the original class of 272 to more than 2,900 students. ⁵

There are 14 buildings on the National Historic Register contributing to the University’s sense of tradition. This unique architectural blend is a reminder of the “weapons to plowshares” history of the setting. ⁵

Community: Sault Ste. Marie (pop. 14,000) is one of the oldest cities in North America, having begun as a fur trading center in the early 17th century. A Jesuit mission was established here in 1641, and Father Marquette founded the first permanent settlement 27 years later, within the boundaries of what was to become Michigan. The Sault celebrated its 300th birthday in 1968. ⁵

LSSU’s sister city, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is a cultural, recreational, social and entertainment center. The combined population of the Twin Saults (80,000) allows for an international flavor abounding with the opportunities of a city, and the safety and comfort of a small town. ⁵

Examine the Experience:

Learning objectives for Service Experience

1. Prepare presentation to showcase programs and learning opportunities offered within the School of Nursing (SON) during "2014 Fall Fling" activity.

2. Share highlights of DNP Capstone Project focus in relation to future inclusion of  simulated expereiences in Community Meantal Health course.

3. Create informational resources for students/parents to take with them for review after activity.

4. Conduct tour of on-campus Nursing skills lab and Simulation skills lab.

5. Prepare and supervise hands-on skills experience at off-campus Simulation Center.  Coordination of two SON simulation support staff and four BSN students who will be in charge of education skills stations.

Who were the participants and what needs were served?

I chose this Service Learning Project because a great deal of our students, and potential students, come from very diverse and challenged environments.  Our University is one that is affordable and easier to get into than others.  My goal was to provide information to help them make a good informed choice about our school and attending so they can become successful nurses and rise above their circumstances and have a productive career.  Additionally, I was able to share information about Regis University and my Capstone Project and why I feel it is such an important focal area.

Prospective students attending “Fall Fling” for the School of Nursing consisted of:

◉ LPN; Health Care Provider (HCP) (Associate Degree) and BSN Students

◉ Prospective Students' Family Members/Significant Others/Extended Family Members

In relation to the nursing students who currently attend our University – per State and Federal guidelines, many can be considered as coming from an “Environmentally Disadvantaged” background (D. Faust, personal communication, September 4, 2014).

A determining factor is evaluating a student's need is whether or not the student is eligible for the Federal Pell Grant.  Students file the FAFSA each year, reporting the prior year's family income, size and assets, and an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is calculated accorded to the federal need formula.  Students in 2013-14 with an EFC less than $5,000 are considered "needy" and qualified for the Federal Pell Grant (D. Faust, personal communication, September 4, 2014).

Of the 291 nursing students enrolled at Lake Superior State University, in the School of Nursing, during the 2013/14 academic year, 178 or 61% met the Pell Grant guidelines of having an estimated family contribution towards their education of less than $5,000. Additionally, of the 291, an estimated 20% (58 students) met the HHS Poverty Guidelines (D. Faust, personal communication, September 4, 2014).

The Prospective students involved in “Fall Fling” were not required to provide financial information to participate; therefore, I am unable to provide numbers for the 30 who were a part of the activities I planned for this day.  However, I did contact the Registrar & Financial Aid Offices to ask if they knew how many of the high schools these students came from qualified as “disadvantaged status” and was told, a strong approximation was about 60 to 65% (D. Faust & J. Young, personal communications, September 29, 2014).

Our day began at 10:00am!

I met with the Sim staff and BSN Senior student volunteers at the off-campus Sim Center to make sure we were all ready to go.  Once we had everything ready and finalized for the day’s activities, I went back to campus to prepare for the classroom presentations and on-campus Skills/Sim Lab tours.

The first group of potential students and their attendees arrived promptly at 1:00pm and were greeted warmly and escorted to the classroom where the presentation would take place.  Each student was provided with a packet of information and then I introduced myself and gave a brief bio.  I then went through the Power Point presentation, including the viewing of Sim Center video, and I answered any questions.  We talked about our Sim Center and all of the learning opportunities that are available and I talked some about my Capstone Project and my goal of incorporating simulation into my Community Mental Health course.

The potential students, and their attendees, then had an opportunity to take part in the on-campus tour of the Skills/Sim Lab.  I escorted them to where the buses were waiting to take them to the Sim Center where they would participate in various activities.  Then I went to prepare for the second group.  The same activities were repeated and the day ended at 5:00pm.

It was a great day and experience.  I was really nervous about this day as neither I nor my students had taken part in an activity like this before.  It is a huge and very important event for our University and SON, as we are trying to increase our student numbers.  The potential students, and their attendees, were very interested and engaged well.  Several spent time after talking with me about their future plans/goals.  Several students and parents thanked me for the wonderful and informational presentation and tour and that I had “sparked” further interest in attending our University and SON.

After the event, staff and students who were on-site at the Sim Center reported that the potential students and their attendees were very impressed with the Center and all it has to offer them for a well-rounded educational experience if they choose our University and SON Program.

What roles can DNPs play in promoting educational opportunities to those students who are considered to belong to under-served populations?

As reported by The American Journal of Managed Care (2006) ⁸, and supported by Dr. Patsy Cullen’s ³ presentation (2011), there are a multitude of populations who are considered to be vulnerable.  

One population, which is the focus of my Capstone Project, and one I spoke of during the presentations, are those suffering with severe mental illness and how educating our future nurses to work effectively with this population will have positive outcomes for both.  Another type of vulnerable population can be considered those people who live in rural areas as they are at risk of encountering difficulties in accessing mental health, as well as health care, services.   Overall, the barriers that those with mental health illness face have an effect on all aspects of their lives (physical, psychological, and social).  In relation to the BSN nursing students, a vulnerability exists in the fact that Lake Superior State University (LSSU), and School of Nursing (SON), are in a very rural area and are facing the prospect of having to decrease the number of new students admitted per cohort to 18, down from 24, due to a serious lack of appropriate clinical placement sites with whom we are able to contract.

With regard to my DNP role, I envision being able to research the use of simulation exercises during community mental health nursing education courses to determine the value of adding this teaching strategy to the baccalaureate level program.  The nursing program where I currently teach is currently ranked #69 in the 2014 Best Colleges, as put forth by U.S. News and World Report (2014). ¹¹

I believe that proving the value of using standardized participants (patients) and simulation exercises in educating students, and implementing simulation as a regular part of nursing courses, will help to improve the college ranking score by turning out better educated and safer practicing nurses.  This would be accomplished through providing them exposure to a variety of mental health crises and conditions that they may encounter in “real-life,” while also increasing their level of confidence in their own abilities for intervention and treatment. This provides higher quality care delivered efficiently and accurately, as well as better outcomes for patients with mental health conditions.  I would also like for the university’s nursing program to become known for its ability to compete with the larger, medically-focused universities through the use of modern, innovative education methods.

My own paradigm for nursing practice has been transformed from simply teaching treatment strategies to nursing students prior to taking them into the field for clinical experience with mental health patients to working with the Simulation Center on campus to begin to develop simulation exercises that will give nursing students practical experience prior to going out in the field with patients.  From this I hope to be able to demonstrate that my students enter the field better prepared and more confident in their abilities, no matter the background they come to the University, and School of Nursing, from.

The need for simulation in nursing education has been established through the literature

review and identified at the college in which this project was completed. The college has been

experiencing a reduction of clinical teaching sites mandated by the acute care facility contracted with the school.

In addition to the restriction of clinical placements there was a recent restriction on nursing students administering medications, accessing medication dispensing systems, and the

medication bar scanning system. These factors resulted in difficulties with the nursing program meeting learning objectives to adequately prepare the nursing student to become a competent

graduate nurse.

Nurses often see patients presenting with mental health problems, but their training regarding mental health treatment varies. A nurse’s communication skills are of particular importance in these interactions, and communication skills training of nurses has been found to improve patients' mental health.  However, many nurses who enter general nursing practice are not fully prepared to meet the needs of patients who are experiencing a mental illness as either a primary or secondary health issue.

Articulate the Learning:

One of the biggest things I hope to see, and be a part of, is that students who attend our BSN Nursing Program will learn how to put aside their pre-conceived notions and biases about those suffering with emotional/mental illness long before they begin to work with patients in the clinical settings.  One of my hopes is that once they take part in SIM experiences they will be motivated to learn more about how to work effectively with those suffering with emotional/mental illness so they will have the best possible experience and offer the patients they work with the best possible care.

Additionally, it is my goal to assist students, and the community, in understanding the psychological aspects of diabetes and how overall health can be affected.

The biggest goal I have, aside from students having the opportunity to experience individuals with emotional/mental illness before they go out into the clinical arena, is to show how important it is to incorporate standardized participants into simulation centers for optimal learning.  With this confirmation it will offer the opportunity for the SON to apply for funding to support the incorporation of standardized participants as a regular part of the SIM Center.  I have thought long and hard about how I could educate students, in the SIM Center, with only manikins, and I just don't find it to be possible.  When working with patients who have emotional/mental illness direct face-to-face contact is so important.  If one can't see a person's non-verbal communication, which is a big part of working with patients, I feel a great deal of what you learn about a person will be missed. Manikins, at least the ones we have in our SIM Center, do not offer that option.

LSSU is: one of only 10 Public Universities & two Community Colleges  in the State of Michigan with BSN Programs; one of only six that offers simulated learning; one of only two located in the Upper Peninsula and one  of only three that offers psychiatric/mental health nursing coursework.   I found it very important to take part in the “Fall Fling” so that I could really highlight the “special” and “unique” aspects our BSN Program has to offer to students. ^{2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10}

What I learned from this day is how important it is to provide information in order for people to make “informed” decisions and “spark an interest” in the profession of nursing, as well as mental health and simulation as a part of the learning process.

References

1. Ash, S. L., & Clayton, P. H. (2004). The articulated learning: An approach to guided reflection and assessment. Innovative Higher Education, 29(2), 137-154.

2. Central Michigan University. (2014). Clinical simulation center.  Retrieved from: https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/cmed/about_cmed
/Pages/Clinical_Simulation_Center.aspx

3. Cullen, P. (2011). Human subjects implications for research. Retrieved from: https://rhchp.regis.edu/NR/NR707/Week5_IRB/index.htm

4. Eastern Michigan University. (2014). School of Nursing: College of Health and Human Services.  Retrieved from: http://www.emich.edu/chhs/hphp/pa/about/facilities.php

5. Lake Superior State University (LSSU). Campus history.   Retrieved from: http://www.lssu.edu/cmscatalog1314/campus-history.php

6. Lake Superior State University. (2014). Welcome to the School of Nursing.  Retrieved from:  http://www.lssu.edu/nursing/

7. Michigan State University. (2014). Simulation. Retrieved from:   http://nursing.msu.edu/Instructional%20Support/Teaching%20and%20Learning%20Resources/Simulation.htm

8. NA. (2006). Vulnerable populations. The American Journal of Managed Care, 12(13, Suppl.),  S348- S352.

9. Northern Michigan University. (2014). Rettig Nursing Technology Center.  Retrieved from: http://www.nmu.edu/nursing/rettig-nursing

10. University of Michigan. (2014).  M.E.T.I. human patient simulator.  Retrieved from: http://www.med.umich.edu/umcsc/equipment/hps.html

11. U.S. News and World Report. (2014). Lake Superior State University. Retrieved from:  http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/lake-superior-state-university-2293

The day was a huge success overall!

  "I loved going to the Fall Fling! The staff and people who represented LSSU were amazing; they were all very nice, and made me and my family feel welcome."

  "It was wonderful! (This is Mom speaking...) It was great. We brought the whole family and had a great time. We enjoyed everything from the initial session, the biology lab tour, the aquatic lab tour, the campus tour, and the BBQ was very good. The jump house area was a hit with our younger girls who came with us as well as the snow cones and cotton candy and, especially the hockey game. We tried to do it all. IT WAS FABULOUS! "

  "We were very impressed with the campus and with everyone we met. Everyone was helpful and informative and all the students we talked to loved being at LSSU."   "LSSU is what I would call the PERFECT COLLEGE and I had a great time touring campus and seeing the environment."  "Can't wait to come up next year for classes :)"

"Fall Fling" Supporting Activities

9/9/ - 9/26/14: 
Spent time working on and finalizing activities for "Fall Fling" with SON simulation support staff and BSN students.  We discussed and finalized how we will conduct activities for the actual "Fall Fling" day.  

Potential nursing students and their families/significant others will be provided with an on-campus presentation and tour of the on-campus Skills/Sim Lab by me. Buses will be ready to take them to the off-campus Sim Center in shifts. This will be repeated twice based on amount of potential students who have signed up for this activity. 

Once on-campus activities have been completed and students and their families/significant others arrive at the Sim Center, a brief tour will be conducted by the Sim Manager.  Once completed, they will will have a chance to participate in one of four skills stations with Sim support staff and BSN Senior students.  We chose: (1) CPR/AED with high-fidelity Hal manikin; (2) "Nurses Tools" (all types of tools nurses use in their practice); (3) NG tube placement and care; and (4) staple removal.

I spent time meeting with SON Lab/Sim Manager to gather needed equipment, as well as meet with University admission staff to coordinate schedules and buses. Additionally, I worked with University classroom scheduler to secure room for presentation.  I gathered multiple pieces of pertinent information, regarding the SON Programs, to assemble packets I made to leave with potential students to view with their parents/significant others at a later date.  Additionally, I made a cool PowerPoint for the presentation.  

I worked with our AV manager to supply me with a CD of a video we had made about our Sim Center so I could show it for the potential students, and their attendees, to view before going to the actual Sim Center. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEU-wWxcVtM

We are all prepared for "Fall Fling" on September 27^th .

Sandi King F14 Blog: "Spring Fling"

September 8, 2014

Service Learning Activity:

"Fall Fling" - Student/Parent Introduction to University/Programs Open House       Event.  A great deal of our students and potential students, come from very diverse and challenged environments.  Our University, and in particular the School of Nursing (SON), is one of only a hand full, in the State of Michigan and many other States, that is affordable and easier to get into.  That is why I chose the SL Project I am doing at this time - so that I am able to assist students, as well as their parents/significant others, to make a good informed decisions about our University, School of Nursing, and attending. In the long-term, this will allow students to become successful nurses and rise above their circumstances and have a productive career.

Recipients of Service:
(1) Prospective LPN; Health Care Provider (HCP) (Associate Degree) and BSN               Students

(2) Prospective Students' Family Members/Significant Others/Extended Family              Members

Learning Objectives:
1. Prepare presentation to showcase programs and learning opportunities offered
    within the School of Nursing (SON) during "2014 Fall Fling" activity.
2. Share highlights of DNP Capstone Project focus in relation to future inclusion           of simulated experiences in Community Mental Health course.
3. Create informational resources for students/parents to take with them for
    review after activity.
4. Conduct tour of on-campus Nursing skills lab and Simulation skills lab.
5. Prepare and supervise hands-on skills experience at off-campus Simulation
    Center.  Coordination of two SON simulation support staff and four BSN
    students who will be in charge of education skills stations.