Clinical Application Assignment

NURS 492: Community Health Nursing

Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to allow students the opportunity to gain entry and assess
a population within their community. Working within the community, students will identify a
community-based coalition, school, civic organization, occupational health setting or other practice
site for this clinical experience and work with this community to identify and prioritize a
community diagnosis and develop a plan to address it.
Student Approach to Assignment
This assignment was one of my first experiences with community and global health
problems. I approached this assignment by performing a community needs assessment,
identifying an aggregate, identifying a need, and developing an intervention to address the need
based on assessment findings and personal involvement with the identified aggregate. I
approached this assignment the way that I did to get first-hand experience with identifying health
problems in my community and to develop a solution to promote community health. I learned the
importance of community health and health promotion and specific needs of my local
community.
Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio
This project is included in my portfolio because it is a representation of my work in
community health nursing. This project represents me as a nurse because it demonstrates my
ability to get involved and communicate with individuals of diverse backgrounds. This
assignment represents growth because I was able to take what I learned in my nursing program
and apply it at a community level. This assignment incorporated almost all aspects of the nursing
program.
• Communication
o Expresses oneself and communicates effectively with diverse groups and disciplines
using a variety of media in a variety of contexts
In this assignment, I developed a teaching plan for members of a local diabetes self-
management education program. The members of the program were older adults with diabetes
from low socioeconomic, literacy, and educational backgrounds. I provided teaching on diabetes
education, insulin administration, and how to accurately check blood sugar. I used a pre-test,
educational pamphlets, videos, slideshow presentation, and demonstrations to communicate
information to participants.
• Teaching
o Provides teaching to patients and/or professionals about health care procedures and
technologies in preparation for and following nursing or medical interventions
 I provided teaching to members of a diabetes education program about insulin
administration and how to check blood sugar.
o Uses information technologies and other appropriate methods to communicate health
promotion, risk reduction, and disease prevention across the lifespan
In this assignment, I used educational pamphlets, videos, slideshow presentation, and
demonstrations to communicate information to the program participants. The purpose of the
education was to promote health, reduce the long-term impact of diabetes on health, and prevent
further escalation of the disease process. The participants varied in ages from adults in their 20s
to older adults in their 70-80s.
• Leadership
o Assumes a leadership role within one’s own scope of practice as a designer, manager,
and coordinator of health care to meet the special needs of vulnerable populations in a
variety of practice settings
I assumed a leadership role in the diabetes education program to promote health and
provide education about diabetes management. I gained access to this group through identifying
a need in my community. I coordinated the education program based off of the individual needs
of the members based on the results of an administered pre-test.
o Initiates community partnerships to establish health promotion goals and implements
strategies to meet those goals
I attended a local diabetes education program to identify gaps in service provided,
develop health promotion goals, and develop a plan to meet the identified goals. I developed a
plan to improve glucose control and implemented it within the program. At the end of the
program, attendance rates improved, and all members were able to demonstrate accurate
checking of blood sugar and insulin administration.
o Organizes, manages, and evaluates the development of strategies to promote healthy
communities
I worked with the manager of a diabetes education program to identify a leadership role
within the community group. My task was to improve glucose control in attendees. Diabetes is a
major problem in my local community. To improve diabetes management and promote health, I
provided teaching on diabetes education, insulin administration, and how to accurately check
blood sugar. I evaluated the interventions though a post test and return demonstration.
• Culture
o Maintains an awareness of global environmental factors that may influence the delivery
of health care services
Prior to starting this assignment, I performed a windshield survey to get a better
understanding of my community, resources, and environmental factors. The survey revealed a lot
of poverty and areas of low socioeconomic income. Poverty negatively impacts access to clean
water, food, transportation, and health care resources on a community and global level. Knowing
lack of transportation was an issue for members of the program, I assisted participants with
transportation to the program to improve attendance rates.