This opportunity is part of the clinical turnover of my son's student, one of which involves community-based rotation. Jennifer Shearer of Son Clinical Coordinator carefully selects and manages these partnerships to ensure a meaningful, hands-on learning experience.
“This experience gives students the opportunity to see a patient's overall view. Patients don't always arrive in an acute care setting in the hospital,” said Amanda Young, her son's clinical instructor.
It also coincides with UD son's mission to address social determinants of health through practical population-based care.
“Providing care in a non-traditional environment allows students to understand the barriers many people face when accessing health care,” says Elizabeth Speakman, her son's Chief Nurse Administrator and Senior Associate Dean. “This experience helps them develop the skills they need to build trust and provide meaningful support to diverse groups.”
Young said he hopes that the experience will change students' perspectives and make them more culturally sensitive.
“I hope this experience broadens their perspective on health, life and the challenges people face,” Young said. “While it's easy to focus on immediate medical needs in acute care, this turn reinforces the importance of a better understanding of other factors that may affect the environment and health.”
Piontek works as a nurse's assistant in the intensive care unit at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Her time on the Hope Committee shows that she will be working with this population for the first time.
“It was different from the patients I met in the hospital,” Piontek said. “It's interesting to hear their perspective and build trust. They feel more fulfilling when they have the information they can bring back to their families.”
Piontek says the community rotation will make her a better nurse in the hospital's medical supplies unit, where she hopes to work after graduation.
“I meet people from all walks of the hospital. This experience taught me how to translate what I learned in my nursing class to a level that everyone can understand,” says Piontek.
Metcalfe, a student outside the emergency room at Christian Hospital, called the rotation “eyeworthy.”
“I spent my whole life in Delaware, went to the Newark Charter, and now I'm UD so I have a small heart about the community,” Metcalfe said. “I didn't spend much time in Wilmington or weren't exposed to the different communities in the state, so they helped these people, taught me so much and motivated me to become a nurse.”
Above all, it is taught to him that it is open to learning.
“We never know who will be able to get through those hospital doors,” Metcalf said. “This is a great opportunity for me to talk and understand with a population that doesn't have background knowledge and helps to establish relationships and promote connections to build trust with patients as part of the healing process.”
