Outreach

PAWS on the Plains allows Auburn’s nursing students to learn about animal-assisted therapy through classroom teaching and hands-on clinical experiences. Students experience how animal-assisted therapy can benefit the lives of children with chronic illnesses, adults in nursing homes and medical centers, and individuals diagnosed with mental health issues.

PAWS on the Plains is active on the Auburn University campus including its health clinic, in the Auburn/Opelika community, and East Alabama Health.

Please contact the program director for additional information and scheduling!

Project Director: Morgan Yordy (bmy0004@auburn.edu)

Camps

Nursing Camp Asthma Camp Eagle

Therapeutic Camp Discovery MedCamp

Global Outreach

Auburn in Ghana Auburn in Ecuador

Community Outreach

Disability Awareness

REACH Respite Program

SOUND

Nurse Narrative Podcast

Outreach

School Outreach

Tiger Check™

TigerCheck™- Auburn University College of Nursing partners with Bullock and Macon County K-12 schools for this outreach activity. During this activity, undergraduate nursing students provide an in-school basic screening that includes assessment of height, weight, blood pressure, respirations, heart rate, heart and lung sounds, and inspection of eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Scoliosis screening for middle school students (6th – 9th), depending on school, is also part of the assessment. Data obtained during these screenings are entered into an electronic database and shared with the school nurse at the individual schools. Individual student health data is then shared with the parents and recommendations for any follow-up with health care providers is provided.

Project Director: Kelly Strickland (Kps0010@auburn.edu)

TigerCHAT™

A school-based health and wellness initiative utilizes an evidence-based curriculum and focuses on nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and respiratory health. Auburn University College of Nursing undergraduate and graduate students alongside health-related disciplines and faculty have designed 13 weeks of content in a modular format. TigerCHAT™ programs are currently a partnership between academia, community, and school systems in Alex City, Chambers County, Tallapoosa County, and Madison County. Topics include:

Module 1: Nutrition and activity- PREVENTING DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, AND OBESITY (4 weeks)
Module 2: Breathing Strong- PREVENTING INFECTIONS AND ASTHMA/ALLERGY EXACERBATIONS (4 weeks)
Module 3: Mental health- IDENTIFYING AND PREVENTING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. Undergraduate and graduate nursing students are an integral part of the education delivery to school children (5 weeks)

Project Director: Linda Gibson-Young (gibsolm@auburn.edu), 334-844-5601

Scoliosis Screening

Scoliosis screening and pre-K screening in Tallapoosa Co-AUSON first semester nursing students provide scoliosis screening for boys and girls in grades 5-8 and pre-K screening (BP, Height, weight, BMI, hearing) for rising kindergarteners in the Tallapoosa County school system. Approximately 40 undergraduate nursing students assist in these screenings during the Fall semesters. There is no funding associated with these screenings.

Project Director: Amy Curtis (azc0007@auburn.edu)

Annual School Nurse and Counselor Education

The Auburn University College of Nursing meets with Alabama school nurses and school counselors on a yearly basis prior to the start of school for education. Topics are identified by the participating schools.

Recent topics include recognizing trauma in children, disaster preparedness, asthma education, and inclusion and diversity for school nurses from local and statewide K-12 schools.

Project Director: Linda Gibson-Young (gibsolm@auburn.edu)

Disaster Triage

AUSON faculty collaborate with the Auburn City School Nurse Coordinator to implement a two-phase project providing Disaster Preparedness Training for school nurses from local and statewide K-12 schools.

Outreach

Interprofessional Education

IPE Clinics

Each Friday, faculty from nursing, social work, nutrition, medicine, and pharmacy join their students to provide multidisciplinary, patient-centered care. Students are divided into teams, with at least one representative from each discipline on each team. The teams conduct a thorough assessment of each patient and then work with faculty from all disciplines to develop a plan of care. Patients receive education, recommendations for medications and follow up care, as well as information regarding resources in the area. Because it is a multidisciplinary clinic, patients often report they are so thankful for this service and the care provided to them through the clinic. The clinics serve to reduce isolation of older adults, provide a means of highlighting Auburn University and VCOM healthcare programs, and ensure that the University land grant mission is met. Students also benefit greatly from the experience because it gives them an opportunity to understand the role of their discipline in an interprofessional team as well as experience truly patient-centered care.

Project Director: Sarah Watts (sow0002@auburn.edu)

Poverty Simulation

The Auburn University College of Nursing uses the Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) to provide an inter-professional experience including nursing students, social work students, pharmacy students, and medical students. During a simulated month, students live out day-to-day obstacles many individuals living in financial poverty face such as; paying the mortgage, finding a job, finding childcare, providing care for loved ones who are ill and/or disabled, and purchasing food for their family. The purpose of the simulation is for students to develop a basic understanding of the far-reaching effects of financial poverty and increase their empathy for individuals experiencing it. “The Community Action Poverty Simulation exists to promote poverty awareness, increase understanding, inspire local change, and transform perspectives.” – For more information, see www.povertysimulation.net

Project Director: Kelly Strickland (Kps0010@auburn.edu)

Disaster Simulation

AUSON and VCOM participated in a community-wide disaster simulation during the past three years. The purpose of this simulation experience was to prepare medical and nursing students to effectively and efficiently work together and provide care for a large number of patients from a mass causality. Over 180 nursing students, 160 medical students, more than 25 AUSON and VCOM faculty, community first responders, and standardized patients participated in this daylong activity. Plans are to make this an annual event and involve other health care professional students and faculty.

Project Director: Sarah Watts (sow0002@auburn.edu)

Boykin Center

This free-standing clinic will open Fall 2020. The clinic will be operated by a clinical advisory board, which will include faculty and staff from VCOM-Auburn and nursing, pharmacy, nutrition, and social work from Auburn University. Services will include health prevention and screenings as well as primary care. A satellite pharmacy will be located in the clinic to provide access to affordable medications for the patients served at the clinic. The primary target population for the clinic are those living in the areas surrounding the Boykin center and individuals without access to healthcare providers.

Project Director: Jean Dubois (duboiej@auburn.edu)

Pediatric Day Skills Lab

Auburn Nursing offers a pediatric skills day with nursing students allowing time to communicate and interact with children of various ages. This is a community partnership once per semester. Auburn Nursing offers a pediatric skills day with nursing students allowing time to communicate and interact with children of various ages. This is a community partnership once per semester.

The events are held at the Auburn Nursing Building at 710 South Donahue Drive. We host 50-70 children ranging from 0 to 18 years of age, and work with children in 5 stations: communication and play, growth and development, developmental stages, vital signs and assessment, and weight and plotting on CDC growth curve.

Project Director: Ann Lambert (awl0011@auburn.edu)

Outreach

Mother-Baby Education

TigerBabies

An outreach program provided by Auburn University College of Nursing to provide a clean, comfortable, and private area for mothers to breastfeed at community athletic and recreational events. Moms can breastfeed, bottle-feed, change diapers in this location. Sibling activities include face painting, coloring, etc. A certified lactation consultant is onsite to answer any questions. Research shows that mothers with community and family support are more likely to continue breastfeeding for longer duration.

Facebook: Tiger Babies Breastfeeding Support Tent

Project Director: Ann Lambert (awl0011@auburn.edu)

Safe Sleep Initiatives

Safe Sleep Outreach and Education develops partnerships between AUSON and numerous community and health organizations to promote infant health. Nursing students and faculty share safe sleep messages with various groups such as child development center staff, nurses in rural delivering hospitals, military groups, grandparenting groups, medical clinics, and local health departments. Safe sleep sessions utilize evidence-based materials produced by the by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Participants are taught ways to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Sessions are available upon request as scheduling allows Nursing students gain experience providing education to individuals and groups, assist with data collection, and build trusting relationships with community members.

Project Director: Ann Lambert (awl0011@auburn.edu)

Perinatal Education Courses

Auburn University College of Nursing offers a Perinatal Educations Series, “Education on mom and baby as they grow together.”

Class 1: Pregnancy to birth – helping mothers and support persons better understand pregnancy, labor, and birth.

Class 2: Birth to one year – keeping mom and baby healthy.

2023 Dates: January 28, April 22, & August 27

9:00am-1:00pm CST

Class 1 and Class 2 offered on each date.

Free program. Lunch and childcare will be provided to all participants.

Click the link to register https://aub.ie/perinatal

Project Director: Kelley Noll (kelleynoll@auburn.edu)

Outreach

Camps

Nursing Camp

Nursing Camp, facilitated by Auburn University College of Nursing (AUSON) and Auburn Youth Programs (AYP), is an engaging one-week summer program available for high school students interested in careers in nursing. Camp participants “learn by doing” and practice technical skills as they rotate through interactive learning stations led by undergraduate nursing students in the school’s labs and simulation center. Faculty use case studies and simulation scenarios to bring healthcare specializations like emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and home health to life as the teens provide care for simulated patients throughout the week. The week includes team competitions, learning opportunities with community healthcare professionals, and discussion of educational pathways to nursing.

Project Director: Kendall Henderson (kaw0019@auburn.edu)

Asthma Camp Eagle

Asthma Camp Eagle (ACE) is held at the beautiful Children's Harbor on Lake Martin. This free camp is for children ages 7 to 12 years living with asthma and is supported by several community partners. ACE is designed to empower and equip campers to control their asthma. ACE offers SO MANY fun activities including swimming, canoeing, arts & crafts, games & sports, and fishing. ACE provides campers with several opportunities to learn about asthma, as well as other topics important to childhood development. ACE partners with other AU majors, including nutrition, child life, and social work, and is a part of the nursing specialty topic course, NURS 4120 Health Science Camp Experience. ACE is always looking for passionate counselors, everyone is welcome! Camp volunteers say that this is a valuable active learning experience, providing interaction with school-aged children living with asthma. If you are interested in attending as a camper or volunteering as a counselor, please email the camp directors listed below.

The Outlook (Alex City) Article: https://www.alexcityoutlook.com/2018/07/26/asthma-camp-eagle-lands-at-childrens-harbor/

2024 Dates

July 21-24

Camp Directors

Linda Gibson-Young: gibsolm@auburn.edu

Seth Perry: shp0006@auburn.edu

Therapeutic Camp

Therapeutic Camp is a seven-week summer camp for individuals with various disabilities (e.g. autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, etc.) sponsored by the Auburn Parks and Recreation department. Nursing faculty and students attend camp two days/week to provide health education, health promotion activities, and therapeutic relationships.

Discovery MedCamp

This is a collaboration between VCOM-Auburn, nursing, pharmacy, nutrition, social work, and audiology from Auburn University, and the regional AHEC organization. The camp will include high school students and be facilitated by Auburn University Youth Programs. It will provide opportunities for participants to learn about teamwork as well as the roles and responsibilities of members of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers.

Project Director: Sarah Watts (sow0002@auburn.edu)

Outreach

Global Outreach

Auburn in Ghana

Each year, Auburn College of Nursing travels to Ghana to deliver healthcare with undergraduate students and community partners who are interested in Global Health. The program is partnered with Auburn University Outreach Global Office and the local government in the Ghana regions. There are on average 10 students who attend along with AU nursing, pharmacy, and social work faculty and the AU Office of Outreach Global. Students in this program will provide free healthcare to residents in rural, underserved areas located in the cities of Cape Coast, Sekondi-Takoradi and Accra. The students develop portable clinics and offer free eye exams with free eyeglasses, ear exams, blood pressure and complete vital signs screenings, blood glucose screenings, urinalysis, height and weight, patient education, and free medications for children and adults from birth to old age. The program occurs before and through mid-Spring Break and has served over 3000 residents since 2018.

Benefits for students include:

· Improvement in their ability to provide culturally sensitive care.

· Apply nursing leadership skills in an interprofessional setting while providing care.

· Gain knowledge about another culture, a developing country, and health care needs in this country.

· Ability to provide nursing care as well as collaborate with nurses, nursing students, physicians, and pharmacists from the area.

· The opportunity to develop lasting relationships with families of African culture.

If you are interested in knowing more, please contact the project director, Dr. Valarie Thomas at vzt0009@auburn.edu or Mr. Christopher Martin at clm0001@auburn.edu

Auburn in Ecuador

Each year, Auburn University College of Nursing travels to Ecuador for a one week period to deliver healthcare with undergraduate and graduate students. Students in this program will provide healthcare screening, treatment, and education to women (and children) in a disadvantaged neighborhood located in the city of Quito, Ecuador.

Benefits for students include:

Improvement in their ability to provide culturally competent care.
Gain knowledge about another culture, a developing country, and health care needs in this country.
Opportunity to grow professionally and personally as they participate in formal as well as informal nursing activities such as assessment of the patient and health education related to contraception, sexually transmitted disease, breast health, nutrition, and diabetes and heart disease.
Ability to provide ‘hands-on” nursing care as well as the opportunity to develop relationships with families of another culture.

If you are interested in knowing more, please contact the project director, Dr. Kathy Jo Ellison.

LOCATION Quito, Ecuador

Quito lies between two mountain ranges and its altitude is about 9,200 feet. Some areas of the city where we will travel are 9,500 feet or higher. It may take you a couple of days to get accustomed to the altitude.

Quito is roughly divided into three parts: the Old City at the center, with southern and northern districts to either side. The greatest concentration of tourist facilities is in the North, including the airport. Quito's Old City is the largest in the Americas. It has undergone a huge restoration and revitalization program over the last decade, mainly financed by the Inter-American Development Bank. It boasts no fewer than 40 churches and convents, 17 squares and 16 convents and monasteries. It's been called the 'Reliquary of the Americas' for the richness of its colonial- and independence-era architecture and heritage. Modern, northern Quito (on a map, up until the southern tip of the airport) is a fun place to explore, with plenty of museums and urban parks as well as restaurants and nightlife. The southern and northern (from the airport up) districts of the city are where the working class and poorer people of the city live.

Project Director: Kathy Jo Ellison (elliskj@auburn.edu)

Outreach

Community Outreach

Disability Awareness

AUCON partners with multiple university and community organizations to increase the health of individuals living with disabilities. This is accomplished through a number of health teaching and health promotion opportunities that span the AUCON program. Students begin working with individuals living with disabilities in their first semester and have various opportunities throughout the program to meaningfully engage with them, focusing on building relationships, promoting healthy behaviors, and preventing disease.

Project Director: Amy Curtis (azc0007@auburn.edu)

REACH Respite Program

In cooperation with other area churches and local organizations, Auburn United Methodist Church offers the REACH Respite Program (Refresh, Encourage, Activities, Care, Hope). The program is designed for persons with early to mid-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and/or other forms of memory loss.

Project Director: Morgan Yordy (b my0004@auburn.edu)

SOUND

SOUND (Sensory Outreach Under Nursing Direction) is named after the Auburn University Creed: I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body, and a spirit that is not afraid. SOUND began in early 2023 as a program to increase family participation in community events by focusing support for families with persons who experience sensory and emotional regulation challenges.

Through the support of KultureCity and the Merrill Stewart family, SOUND can also provide a mobile sensory room, formally called an SAV (Sensory Activation Vehicle). Additionally, SOUND offers multiple resources in permanent (Neville Arena) and mobile spaces (SAV) including sensory items (e.g., fidget toys, weighted vests, noise-reducing earmuffs, etc.), quiet spaces, and volunteers trained to handle emotional and sensory dysregulation to broaden the inclusivity of large community experiences. Please contact us at the email address below to request SOUND come to your community event or to see where we are currently providing resources!

SOUND is partially funded by the Children's Trust Fund through the Alabama Department of Child Abuse, Neglect, and Prevention. https://ctf.alabama.gov

Contact: ausound@auburn.edu

Director: Dr. Morgan Yordy (bmy0004@auburn.edu)

Associate Directors: Dr. Ann Lambert (awl0011@auburn.edu) & Seth Perry (shp0006@auburn.edu)

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