Introduction

Welcome to a study in health promotion! I am Lauren Cage, a third semester nursing student at University of Alabama-Birmingham. I would love to share my experience with the UAB Honors Program, for whom I had to implement a Service-Learning project. I was blessed with the opportunity to become involved in a significant research study, and this blog follows my journey through this project development.

But Wait, What’s Service Learning?

The UAB School of Nursing has an Honors Program that comprises a select group of students. The three-semester sequence allows students to engage with other faculty and the community to eventually take part in a service-learning project. Students link up with a community partner in their personal field of interest to assist with the specific needs of the organization and surrounding community. The result is a successful learning experience in which the students as well as faculty explore the significant issues impacting the world of healthcare.

My Partner and Project

Last semester, I completed Psychiatric clinical rotations at Piper Place, a community day center for those with serious mental illness. Piper Place is located in Bessemer, Alabama and provides an interactive program for consumers to come and enjoy time away from home. They can communicate with others that share the same experience as well as talk to professionals about their circumstance. The day center is a positive environment in which I enjoyed every visit. I participated with the consumers in activities such as Bingo and cookie decorating. The fun was still educational, however, as our clinical group led important sessions on nutrition, communication, and other healthy topics. When my semester came to a quick end, I immediately knew my time at Piper Place was not up yet.

I wanted to reach out to this population even more! The psychiatric patient has life difficulties that encompass the emotional, physical, and mental aspects of well-being. A mental illness not only takes a toll on the brain, but also affects the body and spirit. I was focused on teaching the consumers at Piper Place how to better take care of themselves. To my surprise, someone beat me to the pitch! Gary Milligan, a BSN graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and MSN graduate of UAB, recently began a research study with the consumers. I am honored to be on his team of researchers as he implements the experiment. The study focuses on the effects of health promotion on people with serious mental illness, right up my alley! The research involves taking vital signs of consumers. We will then teach six courses on various health-related topics, and finally retake the vital signs. The hypothesis is that consumers will have better health outcomes as well as an improved overall view of their health as a result of health promotion teachings. My blog will further explain our research methods and the weekly classes.