Advocacy and Civic Engagement in a Community Health Nursing Course
This presentation provides an exemplar of an education project for community health nursing theory and practicum courses.
The aims of this project are to: 1) engage undergraduate nursing students in conducting a community assessment of vulnerable populations, 2) examine the impact of health policy on the work of public health nurses and the health of vulnerable communities, 3) promote an interdisciplinary approach to advocacy, and 4) articulate the importance of social determinants of health and the roles of public health nurses to local policymakers.
Rationale/Background
Community health nursing clinical sites are increasingly nontraditional, providing students with unique opportunities to examine the upstream factors that shape the health of vulnerable populations. Students are in a unique position to communicate the needs of vulnerable communities and importance of community health nurses to local policymakers.
Description
At the end of the clinical experience, clinical groups draft a bill of rights with a minimum of five rights. The students provide a rationale for each that is based on their community assessments, interactions with clients and staff, and newfound knowledge about systems theory and health policy. Each student also writes a description of why nurses have a stake in health policy. One bill of rights for each clinical site is sent via email to local policymakers, including city council members.
Outcomes achieved/documented
This activity was completed by one clinical group of ten students and will be assigned to 30 community health nursing theory students. One document focused on the homeless and the other advocated for the severely mentally ill, corresponding to students’ placements. Several students said the project allowed them to critically think individually and as a group. Their bills of rights demonstrated conviction and the application of various public health nursing competencies. Students received responses from two city council members and one received a call from a social worker referred to him by the city manager. Outcomes will be described at the end of the theory course in fall quarter in March 2015 and considered in future clinical and theory courses.
Conclusions
Writing a bill of rights for vulnerable populations allows students to synthesize clinical activities and written assignments. This activity has the potential to empower students to enhance their collective and individual voices as they engage policymakers. It also contributes to students’ understanding of the expansive scope of nursing and can foster professional interest in health policy.