Service Learning and Nursing Process for At-Risk Immigrant Population

Service Learning and Nursing Process for At-Risk Immigrant Population

Changes in Attitude Regarding Responsibility to Care for the Poor and At-Risk

My service learning with the immigrant population has fundamentally reshaped a new way of looking at this care for poor and vulnerable populations. I have an improved understanding of the struggles of immigrant families to live without language barriers, cultural adjustments, and fewer resources. This interaction showed me precisely the role that nurses could play in advocating for the underdog or vulnerable populations and mobilizing social determinants of health.

This experience has given me a broader view of nursing care beyond the walls of clinical treatment institutions into community health promotion and social justice. The clear realization now comes to my mind that an equitable, culturally competent model of care must anticipate and actively address barriers. As such, I will:

1. Use a social determinant lens in assessing patient needs, linking patients to community resources.
2. Advocate for language services and health education materials tailored to cultures.
3. Collaborate with community organizations to improve activities that promote health literacy and access to preventive care.
4. Participate in educational opportunities regarding cultural competency and implicit bias.

These changes are one step further in promoting nursing as a force for health equity and social justice.

Explaining Social Justice

Social justice in healthcare means the appropriate distribution of these resources, services, and opportunities across all population groups, irrespective of race, ethnicity, socio-economic conditions, or any other factor (Matwick & Woodgate, 2017). It involves addressing systemic barriers and social determinants that lead to health disparities among marginalized communities.

Key principles include 1) Equity, ensuring fair access to health resources and services based on need; 2) Participation, involving community members in decisions affecting their health; 3) Human rights, upholding the fundamental right to health for all individuals; and 4) Addressing root causes, tackling underlying social and economic factors contributing to poor health outcomes.

Nurses promote social justice by advocating for vulnerable populations, working to eliminate health disparities, and empowering communities to take control of their health.

SMART Goal for At-Risk Immigrant Population

Increase the health literacy of non-English speaking immigrant families in Millbrook by providing culturally tailored health education workshops, resulting in a 30% improvement in participants’ health knowledge scores by December 2024, utilizing bilingual nurse educators and community partnerships.

NANDA Community Nursing Diagnosis

Deficient Community Health among non-English speaking immigrant families in Millbrook, related to language barriers and limited access to culturally appropriate health information, as evidenced by low health literacy scores and underutilization of preventive health services.

Outcome Objective and Interventions

Outcome Objective. By December 2024, 75% of non-English speaking immigrant families participating in health education workshops will demonstrate improved health literacy, as measured by a 30% increase in health knowledge assessment scores.

Interventions. Interventions include 1) Developing and implementing monthly health education workshops covering preventive care, chronic disease management, and navigating the healthcare system, delivered in participants’ native languages; 2) Creating and distributing culturally tailored, multilingual health education materials; and 3) Establishing a community health worker program to provide ongoing support, reinforce health education concepts, and assist families in accessing healthcare services.

Reflection on Service-Learning Experience

My service-learning experience highlighted the significant challenges faced by immigrant populations. Language barriers often lead to misunderstandings about health conditions and treatment plans, emphasizing the need for interpreter services and bilingual providers (Singleton & Krause, 2009). Cultural differences in health beliefs and practices emerged as factors influencing healthcare utilization and adherence to medical recommendations (Purnell, 2019).

In terms of health, for example, many immigrant families had considerable difficulty in understanding the US healthcare system, and approximately half of them sought care from emergency services even for non-emergency issues that could be prevented by a primary healthcare provider due to ignorance of the available preventive services or fear of deportation. Lack of transportation and immovable working hours were key factors that restricted their access to routine health appointments or follow-up visits.

These observations thus underscore the significance of community-oriented interventions and culturally sensitive competent care in minimizing health disparities. Engaging directly with the leaders within each community and identifying the particular needs of a specific population can aid in identifying practices with which to positively impact the offered healthcare and promote health equality (Anderson & McFarlane, 2010).

Equally important, it also elucidated the spirit of rap in the immigrant community. Most of the families showed great interest in health and lifestyle concerns and were keen to attend classes if issues of language translation were solved. It enlightens the possible effect that specific health literacy interventions may have on immigrants and their capacity.

Implications for Nursing Practice

Based on this experience, several key implications for nursing practice emerge:

1. Cultural Competency: Nurses will need to strive for cultural competency to provide respectful and effective care to the diverse immigrant population (Purnell, 2019).
2. Language Access: Use and advocate for professional interpreter services to be assured in the accuracy of communication and the leading of informed decision-making.
3. Community Engagement: Building partnerships with community organizations and leaders can provide nurses with insight into the needs of immigrant populations and better interventions for them (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015).
4. Health Literacy Focus: Health literacy assessment and tailored health education made part of routine care processes can reduce knowledge gaps while empowering immigrant patients with the capacity to effectively manage their health care (Singleton & Krause, 2009).
5. Advocacy: The nurse has the mandate to advocate for policies and practices whose outcome would promote health equity and address social determinants of health-rooted impact on immigrant populations.
6. Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Working closely with social workers, community health workers, and other professionals can expose all complex social and economic factors that are possible to influence health outcomes for immigrants.

Conclusion

The service-learning experience has profoundly influenced my understanding of community health nursing and social justice in healthcare. This experience has further impressed me with the need to strategize on social determinants of health, cultural competence, and health literacy in nursing practice. With a developed SMART goal, a community nursing diagnosis, and possible interventions, I now have a framework for meeting the specific health needs of non-English-speaking immigrant families.

Moving into the future, I have in mind a commitment to putting these insights into my nursing practice, advocacy for vulnerable populations, and realization of more equitable ways for the delivery of healthcare. Through continuous reflection and learning from varied community experiences, nurses can greatly help in health disparity reduction and the achievement of social justice regarding healthcare.

References

Anderson, E. T., & McFarlane, J. M. (2010). Community as partner: Theory and practice in nursing. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Matwick, A. L., & Woodgate, R. L. (2017). Social justice: A concept analysis. Public Health Nursing, 34(2), 176-184.

Purnell, L. D. (2019). Guide to culturally competent health care. F.A. Davis Company.

Singleton, K., & Krause, E. (2009). Understanding cultural and linguistic barriers to health literacy. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 14(3).

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2015). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community. Elsevier Health Sciences.

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We’ll write everything from scratch

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Getting Started
During the NUR-465 course, you will be actively engaged in conducting a community assessment in your local region. The assessment of an at-risk population and specific geographical area will serve as the foundation for a faculty-guided practice experience in population-focused health. Practicum-related experiences will be integrated throughout the course. In this discussion, you will revisit the service learning project you chose earlier in the program. If you have not yet taken NUR-335 Foundations for Professional Practice, reflect back to a time of volunteering with an at-risk population. You will share the information with the class through a discussion. Valuable learning occurs through engagement with peers and the exchange of ideas, You will review the assessment findings of your peers and provide substantive feedback. The nursing process related to communities is introduced, and SMART goals are revisited throughout the discussion.

Upon successful completion of these activities, you will be able to:
• Share your findings from a Service Learning experience.
• Gain insight into other types of experiences that are considered Service Learning.
Propose a NANDA Community Nursing Diagnosis for a specific population, and write a SMART Goal for the population.
• Develop an Outcome Objective specific to a problem found for an at-risk population.
Background Information
Service-learning activities are a rich learning tool in higher education.

According to Dr. Stephanie Delaney (2015), students who participate in some form of community service tied to their coursework get more out of the material. They are also more likely to complete their degrees.
Instructions
1. Review the appropriate rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. Consider your previous experience with service-learning.
3. Prepare to discuss the following prompts:
a. In light of what you have learned at IWU, has your attitude regarding your responsibility to care for the poor and at-risk changed? What changes will you be making in your nursing care because of what you learned at IWU?
at least one professional source.

b. Explain the term social justice by researching the subject. Your text will provide a good starting point. Cite and reference your Service Learning activity with c. Write at least one SMART goal in reference to something you would like to change in the at-risk population you visited in
• State one NANDA Community Nursing Diagnosis to go with your SMART goal. This should be an actual diagnosis, it should be written in the proper format, as noted in the attachment, having four distinct parts.
The approved NANDA Community Nursing Diagnoses are:
Ineffective Community Coping
Readiness for Community Coping
Deficient Community Health (best for any health concerns,
income COPD residents in Wheeling, WV, this would fit them nicely)
e.g., if your at-risk population is low-
• Write one outcome objective and three interventions you would use to meet your goal. As noted in the file
d. Must cite and reference a minimum of one scholarly source.
SMART Goals, Objectives, Interventions, Stakeholders, and Nursing Diagnoses W.
4. Post your assessment findings by the fourth day of the workshop.
5. Review and provide meaningful feedback to at least two of your classmates’ findings on two separate days.

Last Completed Projects