Community Health Paper

NURS 470 Community Health Nursing I

Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to allow students the opportunity to gain entry and
assess a population within their community. Working with the community, students will identify
and prioritize a community diagnosis and develop a plan to address it.
Student Approach to Assignment
My community health group was assigned to the Norfolk Adult Drug Court. We began
our clinical experience by establishing a therapeutic relationship and rapport with our clients. For
the Community Health Paper, my first responsibility was to select what part of the paper I
wanted to complete. I chose the introduction and editing. As a group, we decided to focus on our
aggregates blood pressure. We knew that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the
United States and it is largely preventable through lifestyle changes. Our identified nursing
diagnosis was ineffective cardiac output.
Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio
This portfolio assignment showcases my ability to work in a group setting and as an
educator in the community. Furthermore, I am proud of this paper. Our clinical instructor told
the group editors, myself and Michael Short, that the paper was written at a graduate level. This
assignment also demonstrates a variety of end of program behaviors.
The following program objectives are highlighted:
Critical Thinking
Revises actions and goals based on evidence rather than conjecture
Example: As part of our Community Health Project and Paper, we identified
individuals of our aggregate with hypertension. For the first half of the semester, each
member of our group was responsible for taking blood pressures and recording the
data. Of the 23 members that we screened, we identified 16 of our clients as
hypertensive. We revised our actions and goals based upon evidenced-based research
that supported primary interventions such as teaching presentations. During our
second semester with our aggregate, we conducted three teaching sessions on
modifiable risk factors to reduce overall hypertension rates within our aggregate.
Engages in creative problem solving
Example: In this paper, we discussed alternative interventions that could be applied to
our community health aggregate. We identified two creative ways to solve the
problem of elevated blood pressure. First, we tried to petition the city of Norfolk to
include the Norfolk Adult Drug Court program in a cycling program that was being
initiated last winter. Our second creative, alternative intervention was locating a

registered nurse who would be willing to volunteer part-time with our aggregate. Our
aggregate is extremely receptive and appreciative of our involvement with their
program. It would make sense that they would extend these courtesies to a nurse
volunteer.
Nursing Practice
Performs therapeutic interventions that incorporate principles of quality management
and proper safety techniques based upon assessment findings
Example: For this assignment, we were required to assess our community health
aggregate. We identified several health issues; hypertension was a major concern
within this group. Another health issue that was identified by assessing our
community health aggregate was low health literacy. We geared our interventions
towards these problems. First, we implemented secondary interventions such as blood
pressure screenings. Next, we focused on treating the identified problems through
primary interventions in the form of daily one-on-one teaching sessions and then
three larger group teaching sessions.
Teaching
Provides relevant and sensitive health education information and counseling to patients,
and families, in a variety of situations and settings
Our aggregate consisted of a fluctuating number of members but we would provide
relevant and sensitive health education to all members who would seek our teaching.
One such sensitive topic, that was surprisingly a huge concern to our aggregate, was
erectile dysfunction related to hypertension and antihypertensive medications. In our
paper, we discuss the health education that we provided to the aggregate and their
families.
Uses information technologies and other appropriate methods to communicate health
promotion, risk reduction, and disease prevention across the lifespan
In our Community Health Paper, we discuss how we utilized information
technologies such as educational pamphlets and pedometers to reach our aggregate
and communicate health promotion. During one of our teaching sessions, we gave
pedometers out to members who answered questions about hypertension correctly.
The aggregate was comprised of members from ages 18 to 62 years old.
Evaluates the efficacy of health promotion and education modalities for use in a variety
of settings with diverse populations
Example: In this paper, we discussed how we evaluated our one-on-one education
sessions with the aggregate. Our aggregate consisted of African American and
Caucasian males and females. In our group presentation, we would ask questions to
the aggregate. In our one-on-one sessions we would often use the teach back method
to evaluate learning.

 Research
Applies research-based knowledge from nursing as the basis for culturally sensitive
practice
Example: In this group paper, we utilized research from a variety of disciplines
including nursing. I learned that there is a culture surrounding drug abuse and
addiction. In this culture, rates of mental health disease are extremely high. We found
a nursing research article that supported psychiatric intervention to increase the
efficacy of drug court programs.
Leadership
Assumes a leadership role within ones scope of practice as a designer, manager, and
coordinator of health care to meet the special needs of vulnerable populations in a
variety of practice settings
Example: In this paper, we discuss how our community health group coordinated the
heath care needs of the Norfolk Adult Drug Court. Our aggregate is a vulnerable
population as the majority of them are poorly educated and in a low socioeconomic
group. Personally, I assumed a leadership role by coordinating and collecting the
blood pressure readings from our group. I then compiled these entries into an
appendix that we attached to the end of the paper.
Initiates community partnerships to establish health promotion goals and implements
strategies to meet those goals
Example: As part of our community health clinical, we had nine students who
interned at the Norfolk Adult Drug Court. We established and identified various
health promotion goals such the reduction of elevated blood pressure and increasing
health literacy in the Community Health Paper. To meet these goals, we planned and
implemented interventions. One such intervention was health teaching on the
adherence to antihypertensive medication. In our second semester with our aggregate,
we implemented a teaching session with this topic as our focus.
Organizes, manages, and evaluates the development of strategies to promote healthy
communities
Example: Prior to writing the paper, I assisted in organizing and managing our
strategies to reduce hypertension. This paper outlines the strategies we deduced
would be the most effective ways to promote a healthy Norfolk community. I assisted
in developing three smaller groups which would independently perform teaching
sessions in the following semester. The strategies used for the teaching session
included group participation, a medication jeopardy game, trifold posters, and
handouts. These strategies were then evaluated for effectiveness through pre and posttests, teach back methods and question and answer.