NR725B_BarloUr_Wk12_Service Learning

Review in detail your service learning site

My service learning  hours and activities are completed  with  the Jacksonville multidisciplinary child abuse/neglect and sexual assault committee, which includes  representatives and stake holders  from the department of children and families, social services, county sheriff departments, forensic physicians, state attorney’s office, and several of the local hospitals of which my service learning mentor is one of the committee liaisons. The formal committee meets quarterly, and subcommittees monthly to review various projects, the latest of which has been the city wide role out of a new guideline to assist sexual assault victims. As I mentioned previously, this included the distribution of a DVD, created by committee members, and staff/patient education material to health facilities throughout the city and surrounding counties. The committee and projects receive a small amount of city funding, and most projects are funded by grants and sponsors, the DVD for example was sponsored by a local families with ties to one of the contributing hospitals.

Another major focus of the committee is child abuse and neglect, and I was able to attend a two day child abuse and neglect training conference, which enabled me to bring back information to educate the staff in my facility. The conference was sponsored by the Florida Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) network, Florida Department of Children and Families, Monique Burr Foundation for children, child protection team, and the University of Florida (UF) Department of Pediatrics Division of Forensic Pediatrics. This was very helpful, especially for my hospital since we are a safety net and former community facility, which serves a large number of lower socioeconomic and culturally diverse population. Unfortunately this also means that we encounter a significant amount of child, as well as elder abuse and neglect, which made the information learned at this conference very helpful.

What roles do DNP’s play in promoting health and wellness in underserved populations?

Introducing best practices and incorporating them into daily care is probably one of the most significant impact the DNP can have on improving care for the underserved as well as all patients. As a leader in the profession, the DNP should also be involved in the educational, as well as policy and political arena of nursing. DNP’s also serve as role models and mentors for staff, and should encourage them to stay involved in continuing education activities and credentialing.

Being active politically and in professional organizations is another avenue for the DNP to advocate for better access to care for underserved populations as well as safe, equal, and effective care for all patients.

What was the best /worst/most challenging thing that happened this semester?

The conference I mentioned probably provided the best and worst experience during my service learning. The topics covered were enlightening and disturbing, such as the amount of minors involved sex trafficking in this country, and the types of abuse and neglect that occurs on a daily basis. Dr, Sharon Cooper and Dr. Barbara Knox are both international speakers and experts on these subjects and really drove home the significance of these problems.

The most challenging thing this semester was trying to figure out how to keep the information I learned in perspective, and not get too emotional about these tragedies that occur every day. I also needed to find a way to find ways to educate staff on the supple signs of abuse and neglect that we don’t often take into consideration and could be lifesaving, such as making it a habit to review a child’s growth and development level, even in the ED, which should be much easier now with the implementation of the EMR’s. This simple process could provide early detection of abuse or neglect and facilitate interventions as needed.

What can you do differently as an individual and as a professional to support and advocate for some of the issues you encountered during your service learning experience?

As I mentioned, although I am not a pediatric nurse, what I have learned is disturbing and I plan to continue working with these committees. On a personal and professional level I believe I can advocate for these patients by creating awareness in the community as well continuing to educate the bedside staff, and providing them with the latest information and guidelines.

I have been a member of the Emergency Nurses Association for many years, but have not been as active as I should have. Becoming more active with this organization may be another avenue to work on these issues. I definitely plan to continue my involvement with these programs and will hopefully become a facilitator for improving some of these statistics, at least in a small way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.google.com/searchq=child+abuse&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=7aHGU9HDJIPisATZ

oYKwDw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1120&bih=613

 

 

Service Learning Reflection Week 12

Here is the link to the link to the Women's Center of Jacksonville site, great information and resources.
http://www.womenscenterofjax.org/links.shtml

Service Learning Reflection Blog 

How would you describe in detail your service learning site?

My service learning site is based at UF Health, but involves a multidisciplinary team of stake holders working towards improving the reporting and support process for sexual and other forms of abuse for adults and children. We have committees that meet monthly and quarterly, and also visit and engage other facilities.

The education and services benefit all communities in Duval County and surrounding areas, many of the counties have significant numbers of underserved communities, and especially Duval since this is more inner city.  The funding for these projects comes primarily from state and some federal funding as well as donations and lots of volunteer hours and commitment.

What is it about the community partner that calls you to work with them?

I am engaged with this program because I believe there is a great need for education and support for individuals in these situations. Unfortunately having some personal experience with this I am very passionate and in tune with how important support, safety, and security is in these situations.

What are you currently doing with this organization and how do you see it evolving as you sustain your commitment with them?

My role with this is to assist with the creation and distribution of teaching material, attend meetings, and share information with local healthcare staff and facilities. I have spent a total of 15 hours so far between official meetings, work groups, one on ones with my mentor, and distributing material.

I foresee this to be an ongoing program since there seem to be more and more victims of abuse on a daily basis, and most perpetrators don’t stop even with counseling and legal consequences. I’m not sure if we as a society are more aware and more willing to report or if the numbers are truly increasing, but either way this problem is not going away. I do plan on continuing with this long term and really hope to have the opportunity to, at least on a small level, contribute to some relief and support for victims and maybe even somehow to empower them to not feel like victims for the rest of their lives.

I feel like most of the committee members and stakeholders are having needs met through this program, because they are all in service and caring professions such as nurses, case workers, social workers, police officers, prosecutors, and physicians. I do think these programs and services are essential for victims, especially in underserved communities who may not have any other support system. Overall these activities are still not sufficient when looking at the number of abuse victims there are, but as always there are funding limits and guidelines.

Are people you came in contact with through this experience having some needs met through the community activities? Are community activities like these necessary and/or sufficient to fulfill these community and individual needs? Do you see other means to do so?

The only real challenges for this semester have been time related. It was difficult at times to get to meetings or work on projects along with other class work and my job. I was also a little let down to realize that not everyone is as passionate about this subject as I am and that there are barriers such as the funding. The best was the satisfaction of being able to make the process and journey through the system a bit easier for the victims and be there for support.

 I have learned that although I thought I was over my own experiences I still have some things to work through myself, so I can imagine how difficult this can be for those with no support or resources. As mentioned before I do plan to continue with these committees and projects as much as possible.

 Here is a link to the video guide that was produced and can be downloaded for use from the Women’s Center of Jacksonville site.
http://www.womenscenterofjax.org/videos/ResponseVideo172.mp4

Service Learning Follow-up

    Just to catch you all up on my service learning progress(since I posted the first one in the wrong place :) ). I am working with the local interdisciplinary sexual assault and child abuse committees. My mentor is one of the committee members and hospital representative. So far we have been working on getting an education CD about how to best manage a sexual assault patient, distributed to local hospitals and health care facilities. The CD was created and professionally produced by some of the committee members. So far this has been very successful and the facilities have been very receptive .
    Now that you are caught up, I am helping with to plan some activities for the upcoming sexual assault awareness month, and I will be attending a 2 day Conference on April 24 & 25th in Palm Coast to hopefully gain more insight and bring back information to present locally. This subject is really sad,  but it also feels rewarding to have some input and make even small contributions to help victims.
( Total Service Learning Hours so far=8)

Service learning

Hello Class,
This is really new to me, so I'm sure it will take a while to get the hang of this, I will complete my profile later, "see" you all in class
Ursula