NSG 4076 Week 4 Journal – Bi-weekly Practicum Journaling

Part 1

This week, I did not need to meet with my targeted aggregate population for the capstone project. Instead, I opted to spend the week volunteering in various church activities designed to meet the community’s needs. One activity I participated in was volunteering to prepare and distribute hot meals to the homeless. The church had organized for a group of us to volunteer our time over the weekend to ensure that the homeless in downtown Tampa would have a hot meal as they felt the love of the community around them. Another activity I participated in over the week was a drive. Markedly, this drive aimed at ensuring that the community’s less fortunate had the school supplies they needed. The community was urged to donate items such as backpacks, pens, pencils, and notebooks. All these resources would then be used to support children whose families could not afford these items, thus ensuring they had all they needed to focus on school. Lastly, on Sunday, I took the initiative to attend church early. On this particular day, I offered to help set up the church by arranging the chairs. I was also keen to ensure that I provided transportation to churchgoers who had difficulty finding a vehicle to get to church. Therefore, most of my week was spent caring for the people in my community.

From this practicum experience, I could see the relationship between my practicum experience and the Healthy People 2020 objectives. One of the key overarching goals of Healthy People 2020 is to create a social and physical environment that promotes health for all (Healthy People, n.d.). The attainment of this particular objective was especially evident as we fed the homeless over the weekend. During this event, I saw the church play its part in ensuring that those around them had a healthy meal in a comfortable social environment. Additionally, as I volunteered with other church members, I was constantly in awe of how many people were willing to share what they had with those around them. Through these events, I was reminded that, at times, what others might need is not money. Instead, people around me might be looking for someone who cares for them unconditionally. I also learned that reaching out to those in need is also a healthy practice since it enables one to see what he/she can offer those in his/her community. As a result of these experiences, I have decided to take an active role in volunteering to help others, which makes me feel hopeful and excited about future activities.

NSG 4076 Week 4 Journal – Bi-weekly Practicum Journaling

Part 2

The video on disaster preparation was an eye-opener. The Tampa, Florida, region is prone to various disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and sinkholes. Therefore, as a responsible member of the healthcare community, I must be well-versed in all aspects of disaster management and ensure that I can help other professionals manage any situation should a disaster occur. One of the key lessons I learned from the video was the triage criteria that should be followed during a disaster. During a disaster, the injured are placed in four categories: urgent, emergency, non-urgent, and non-salvageable (Bazyar et al., 2020). These categories are depicted by the colors red, yellow, green, and black, respectively (Bazyar et al., 2020). In the event of a disaster in my area, I would apply the triage criteria by ensuring that the injured are placed in their respective categories while alerting the healthcare professionals to the various tags, thus ensuring that everyone receives the medical attention they need. While I have never worked in a real disaster setting, I could provide some recommendations in the event of a tornado in my area. One recommendation would be for people to avoid the doors and windows. Another recommendation would be for people to look for a sturdy building to shelter them from the storm (Phillips et al., 2021). Markedly, these two recommendations would help in minimizing injuries and the loss of lives.

References

Bazyar, J., Farrokhi, M., Salari, A., & Khankeh, H. R. (2020). The principles of triage in emergencies and disasters: A systematic review. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 35(3), 305-313. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x20000291

Healthy People. (n.d.). About healthy people. Healthy People 2030 | health.gov. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/About-Healthy-People

Phillips, B. D., Neal, D. M., & Webb, G. R. (2021). Mitigation. Introduction to Emergency Management and Disaster Science, 221-250. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003021919-11

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NSG 4076 Week 4 Journal – Bi-weekly Practicum Journaling

Your Weekly Practicum Journal is

A personal, introspective, subjective account of your practicum experience and how your practicum experience relates to Healthy People 2020 and course objectives. Include events that occurred in your practicum experience, and be sure to describe your thoughts and feelings about those events.  How did your perceptions change? What did you learn that was unexpected? Describe your thinking about your thoughts and feelings regarding the new learning you experienced.