NEW ALBANY —
Instead of watching doctors perform patient screenings for their clinicals, Ivy Tech Community College students gave basic examinations for children registering at the Floyd County Head Start on Tuesday.
Students took blood pressure, performed vision tests, examined immunization and other paperwork to get the children ready for the school year.
Jodi Henderson, a nursing instructor at Ivy Tech, said paper-and-pen environments can only teach students so much. She said the students had been going to Floyd County Head Start for clinicals before, but only observed children in classrooms, cafeterias and buses.
“I know how much they learned because it’s hands-on,” Henderson said. “The classroom setting is lecturing. Here, students are learning because we’re not right beside them; they’re thinking on their feet in this environment.”
Merry Striegel, health manager at Head Start, said the students weren’t the only ones who benefited from helping with registration.
“This has been a great asset to our staff,” Striegel said. “Usually, we don’t have enough hands to do everything we need to do for registration, but it actually helps us take care of more kids.”
Striegel said while registration is going on all week, Ivy Tech students will have helped in screening about 300 preschoolers.
Henderson said the screenings weren’t full-on health exams, they were just meant to see how the preschoolers are doing physically and developmentally. She said along with the health screenings, they also performed speech screenings.
If the preschoolers didn’t have exams on record for dental or physical checkups, parents received referrals for doctors. If they don’t have insurance or Medicaid coverage, those exams may be paid for.
She said students not only got to see what’s normal for 3 year olds in terms of health, but also how they act considering developmental skills at that age.
Toby Long, a nursing student at Ivy Tech, said he was glad to get some actual experience with his clinicals.
“The hands-on experience is a lot better for learning,” Long said. “I got a lot more out of it as opposed to reading about it.”
Another Ivy Tech nursing student, Joel Shouse, said the students were in the middle of studying a maternal health unit. During their clinicals for sick children, they observed doctors at Kosair Children’s Hospital. He said he enjoyed working with the preschoolers in the end, but was a little nervous before they got started.
“At first, it was [nerve-wracking] because I don’t have much experience with this age group,” Shouse said. “But after a few kids, it’s definitely more comfortable.”
Henderson said students will continue to do some clinicals at Head Start, performing more in-depth developmental assessments after school starts.
Striegel said the students helped Head Start a lot and looks forward to working with them in the future.
“They seem to be enjoying it and really learning a lot,” Striegel said. “It’s really a win-win for us.”
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Related Photos
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Scarlett Perry, 3, sits on Lanora Graham's lap as Ivy Tech nursing student Toby Long takes her blood pressure Tuesday morning during enrollment at Floyd County Head Start in New Albany. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen
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Nursing student Alicia Thompson helps hold Eliza Addison's head still as Trisha Lozier administers an eye exam Tuesday morning during enrollment at Floyd County Head Start. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen
Discussion
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes: Ivy Tech nursing students help with Head Start registration
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