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Nursing Students Who Care
 People often see students as aliens from a different planet—one whose seasons are semesters, whose sun rises and sets to the rhythm of study sessions, and whose constellations are composed of homework assignments scattered in the sky.
But for the senior BS nursing students of Southern Adventist University’s Community Health Class, their universe is regulated by one element more.
“I want them to be serving as they are learning,” says Sylvia Mayer, an Associate Professor of Nursing at Southern Adventist University. “That’s why we’re working with the Samaritan Center to create Door-2-Door, a program that will bring students into local people’s homes to serve and bring cheer even as students earn their clinical study credit hours.”
Though long contemplated, this semester marks Door-2-Door’s debut.
“Door-2-Door and the Samaritan Center are a great combination,” says Susan DiStefano, Director of Programs and Services at the Center. “The Center provides a place for the nursing students to meet, a storage spot for their materials, and names of Samaritan Center clients who would appreciate a cheerful visit from a friendly face. Then the students spread good advice and encouragement throughout the community.”
By calling 238-7777, ext. 13, community members and local churches can also submit names of community individuals who could benefit from visits. Although students will offer some basic care, this project focuses on encouraging prevention through a healthy lifestyle.
“During visits, students are happy to take blood pressures and blood sugars, assess and assist with access to community resources, and perform other nursing skills,” says Kristine Follett, the class’s clinical instructor. “but they’re not there to replace Home Health services and do things like bathing, injections, or dressing changes. Instead, students can offer a listening ear and help clients better understand their medications, their health conditions, and what they can do to improve their health—be it physically, mentally, socially, or spiritually.”
While onsite, students also evaluate each client’s situation to the best of their abilities. If they sense that people might need assistance with food, personal care products, bill assistance, or another service that the Center could provide, they pass that information along to the Center’s case workers. They also try to think of other creative ways to improve the lives of those they visit, whether that be through helping them get doctors’ appointments, checking out books-on-CD from the library, passing on healthy recipes, or something more.
“My hope and prayer is that our students will come away from the Door-2-Door program with a passion for personal community service as they become aware of real individual and community needs,” shares Mrs. Follett. “I want them to be equipped to serve wherever God leads them, whether that be as a missionary in a foreign land, a large urban city, or small-town rural America.”
If Mrs. Follett has anything to do with it, alien though her students may be, the caring and compassion in their conduct will be undeniably down-to-earth.
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