Contagious Community

Oct 19, 2011

flu The spirit of the senior nursing class is contagious. The 29 seniors organized a flu clinic as part of their community health class.

From ordering supplies to scheduling and marketing, the students experienced everything that goes into putting on a large event. They set up their station in the Centrum, prepared to vaccinate up to 400 people over two days.

"As juniors, they got to give their first injections and practice their skills," says Linda Scott, associate professor of nursing. "Now as seniors, they see what goes on behind the scenes of a community health project."

Amy Anderson '12, St. Cloud, Minn., spent the weeks leading up to the clinic handing out fliers at events like the Family Weekend football game and the Homecoming parade.

She was challenged to think creatively with a limited budget and resources, but now she sees how her hard work serves others.

"It's nice to help the community," Anderson says. "When people get vaccinated, they are not just benefiting themselves but everyone around them."

One crucial aspect of nursing is the nurse-patient relationship – something the students now know about firsthand.

"It is nice to develop a patient-nurse relationship that is natural and not forced," says nursing major Kelsy DesLauriers '12, Sherwood, N.D. "You find one thing you have in common and a patient becomes a person."

She has also come to understand how important it is to educate the public about health issues like influenza.

"It makes you see what kind of nurse you can be outside a hospital or clinic," DesLauriers says.

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