What led to the award was an innovative program for the community developed by the Lancaster Campus nursing staff and SouthEast Lancaster Health Services. The program is called the HACC Nursing Care Center at SouthEast Lancaster Health Services, located at 625 South Duke Street in Lancaster. HACC students offer health education to the center's patients two days a week.
"We asked ourselves what impact we could have on meeting the needs of the community while meeting a student learning need," said Rhonda Maneval, RN, DEd, CNS, assistant director of nursing programs, at HACC's Lancaster Campus. "Part of the benefit, too, is teaching students about their own community. Perhaps they will be inspired to volunteer.
An added plus, whether the students are aware of it or not, is how they serve as role models, providing a look into nursing as a possible career."
The nursing faculty and nursing students at the center provide patient education to clients of the clinic. The nursing care center has Internet access for most current patient information in both English and Spanish. A translator assists with patient education as needed.
HACC full-time nursing faculty member Julie Sensenig, who holds a master's degree in community health nursing, staffs the nursing care center. Currently, the nursing education component of the clinic is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The goal eventually is to grow the center to a five-day operation.
Another hands-on community project teamed second-year nursing students with faculty from Manheim Township Middle and High Schools. The students assisted a pediatric faculty member in providing basic health screenings for more than 1,000 students during a four-day period in October.
"The nursing students enjoyed the opportunity for real world exposure and a chance to build professionalism," said Maneval. "They had the benefit of a good learning experience and also a chance to recognize the needs of the community. These kinds of opportunities are an essential part of a good education."
Since the start of the nursing program at HACC's Lancaster Campus, two RN classes have graduated and a class of more than 50 students is expected to graduate in the spring. With the start of the fall 2004 semester, 90 first year RN clinical students are enrolled in the program. Beginning in the fall 2005, students no longer have to wait for fall to begin studying nursing. Faculty commence "rolling enrollment," with the capacity of accepting 50 students into the program in the fall of 2005, and 50 in the spring of 2006. Sigma Theta Tau, the national honor society of nursing, presented the Community Leadership Award to the nursing program at the Lancaster Campus of HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. The local chapter presented the award.
What led to the award was an innovative program for the community developed by the Lancaster Campus nursing staff and SouthEast Lancaster Health Services. The program is called the HACC Nursing Care Center at SouthEast Lancaster Health Services, located at 625 South Duke Street in Lancaster. HACC students offer health education to the center's patients two days a week.
"We asked ourselves what impact we could have on meeting the needs of the community while meeting a student learning need," said Rhonda Maneval, RN, DEd, CNS, assistant director of nursing programs, at HACC's Lancaster Campus. "Part of the benefit, too, is teaching students about their own community. Perhaps they will be inspired to volunteer.
An added plus, whether the students are aware of it or not, is how they serve as role models, providing a look into nursing as a possible career."
The nursing faculty and nursing students at the center provide patient education to clients of the clinic. The nursing care center has Internet access for most current patient information in both English and Spanish. A translator assists with patient education as needed.
HACC full-time nursing faculty member Julie Sensenig, who holds a master's degree in community health nursing, staffs the nursing care center. Currently, the nursing education component of the clinic is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The goal eventually is to grow the center to a five-day operation.
Another hands-on community project teamed second-year nursing students with faculty from Manheim Township Middle and High Schools. The students assisted a pediatric faculty member in providing basic health screenings for more than 1,000 students during a four-day period in October.
"The nursing students enjoyed the opportunity for real world exposure and a chance to build professionalism," said Maneval. "They had the benefit of a good learning experience and also a chance to recognize the needs of the community. These kinds of opportunities are an essential part of a good education."
Since the start of the nursing program at HACC's Lancaster Campus, two RN classes have graduated and a class of more than 50 students is expected to graduate in the spring. With the start of the fall 2004 semester, 90 first year RN clinical students are enrolled in the program. Beginning in the fall 2005, students no longer have to wait for fall to begin studying nursing. Faculty commence "rolling enrollment," with the capacity of accepting 50 students into the program in the fall of 2005, and 50 in the spring of 2006.