SERVICE LEARNING, DISASTER DRILLS, AND STUDENTS: SUCCESSFUL LEARNING PARTNERSHIPS

Disasters and students are a promotional tool for our profession. Students participate and learn what it is to experience a disaster from seeing it as the participant and not the clinician. The public and other service professionals see our profession with no longer preconceived ideas but true aspects. This presentation provides student perceptions of the drills, community leaders (police, fire, and EMS), and educators. For our rural community in northern Louisiana this drill of a meth lab explosion and its effects on the community and our university are provided. Instead of a virtual classroom we have clinicals and service learning in the field with critical incident stress debriefing. This opportunity finds us with the distinct challenge of teaching psychiatric, maternal-child, and medical-surgical nursing and value in the community. This grant and research was funded by the University of Louisiana Service Learning System and Learn and Serve America for $24,300 on January 19, 2008. The value of service-learning projects at universities has been proven to positively affect student’s leadership ability, degree aspirations, critical thinking skills and commitment to helping others. Studies show that graduates of educational programs based in rural communities traditionally remain to live and work within a 60 mile radius. In preparing students of healthcare related professions to better handle community disaster situations, we are ensuring care of our family and friends while engaging our future leaders in civic involvement.