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.
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