Reflections

• How would you describe in detail your service learning site?
• Where are you serving? I serve in two agencies: Save a Leg Save a Life or SALSAL and the Ostomy Association of Metro Denver. 

 

• What does the agency do? SALSAL educates clinicians on the importance of wound healing of diabetic foot wounds. It also educates clinicians regarding other lower extremity conditions such as lymphedema, peripheral arterial diseases, pyoderma gangrenosum and the like. The organization raises funds for projects such as sponsoring a RN who is in a Certified wound, ostomy and continence nursing (CWOCN) program.  

 

The other organization, the Ostomy association is a support group for ostomy patients. The members are urostomy, ileostomy and colostomy patients. They meet once a month and take a short break during the summer months. When the group meets, they talk about ostomy issues and they share tips and tricks on what has worked for them. They talk about how to live with an ostomy.

 

• Who are the clients and what needs are served? SALSAL holds a number of educational seminars. The attendees are clinicians example nurses, nursing students, physicians, pharmacists. It helps educate clinicians on good wound care specifically wound care of lower extremity wounds. 

 

The ostomy support group serves the ostomates or ostomists who attend their meetings. The support group meets the emotional needs of the members. The members also get educational support as they learn about how to live with ostomies from each other. 

 

• What is the agency funding support?

SALSAL collects money from its members. The members are clinicians and sales representatives from various companies such as wound product manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and durable medical equipment company stores. 

The ostomy support group also collects money from the attendees. The group invites speakers such as ostomy manufacturer representatives.

 

• What is it about the community partner that calls you to work with them?
• Why are you engaged with this agency?

SALSAL. I had been a member of its Denver chapter for 2 years now. I am engaged in this agency because they have informative educational offerings where I can learn. They also invite nursing students who round with me in the hospital to these educational sessions that they hold. These sessions are free. At times, they serve food, too. 

 

• SALSAL also helped one of my new CWOCNS with her tuition fee. She was attending the WOCN program in Emory University. 

 

• Ostomy support group. I run the ostomy support group in Wheat Ridge. I attend the Metro Denver one because they have ostomy questions and they do not always have a CWOCN present in their meeting. I attended one meeting but plan to come more often.

 

• What is your passion here? I am a CWOCN. The ostomy support group definitely benefit from information I can provide them. 

 

• As for SALSAL, I had suggested topics for their educational sessions. I had also identified and invited speakers to do their educational sessions. I had invited several clinicians and nursing students to come to these sessions. Doing this, I have helped spread the gospel of good lower extremity wound care.

 

 

• What are you currently doing with this organization and how do you see it evolving as you sustain your commitment with them? For SALSAL, I plan to help them invite speakers and attendees to come to their educational sessions. 

On February we have a fundraising dinner. I donated an item to auction. I also invited several clinicians to come. The money raised will help fund the WOCN scholarship that SALSAL sponsors. 

I plan to attend the ostomy support group meetings so I can answer the members' ostomy questions. In the last meeting, they had a new ostomate who also happens to be a RN. She was very upset and scared about getting a permanent colostomy. The ostomate and her family member talked to me for a while and they asked me a lot of ostomy questions. They said that the information I provided them had been helpful. 

I have also introduced the president of the ostomy association of Metro Denver, Karen to other community resources such as Exempla’s cancer navigator and genetic counselor to Karen.

I also emailed home health agencies and the other CWOCNs in town about the ostomy group that meets in Englewood and also the one I lead in Wheat Ridge.

I had also informed some clinicians about the support group. I plan to call on some doctor's offices regarding this support group.

 

• What is your role in this service learning experience? I am a member of SALSAL. I am a new member of the ostomy support group of Metro Denver (the one that meets in Englewood, CO). I plan to help them as I have detailed above. 

 

• What hours did you spend at the site and what activities were performed? I had been blogging about the hours I had been spending in the two groups.

 

Location: Meridian at 3455 S. Corona St., Englewood, Exempla Lutheran, and Breckenridge Brewery in Denver, CO.

January 28, 2014—1.5 hours

February 25, 2012—1.5 hours

March 4, 2014—0.5 hours

March 6, 2014—3 hours

Total 6.5 hours

Still ongoing

Service Learning activities

 

 

Location: several restaurants in Denver, CO where the group members usually meet

Meeting and fundraising at Corner House, February 11, 2014—3hours; meeting February 4, 2014 at Exempla Lutheran—1hour; meetings on January 6,2014 and January 20, 2014—1 hour and 2 hours.  Total of 7 hours.

Still ongoing

Service Learning activities

 

So far to date (3/9)=13.5 hours for both

 

• What are the opportunities here?

 

SALSAL. I plan to invite more registered nurses, clinical instructors, nursing students to the educational sessions. 

 

Ostomy support group. I plan to attend their meetings so I can help answer their clinical questions. 

 

Their president requested if I can invite a surgeon to support their group. I will ask one of our surgeons if he/she would be able to help them.

 

• What can you see yourself doing more long-term? I plan to come regularly to the ostomy support group. Their president asked me to help her distribute their brochure to doctor's offices. I plan to help her with that. I also plan to talk to some home health agencies about the Denver ostomy support group. On Monday Feb 3 I talked to one home health agency about the support group. I also emailed home health agency representatives I know. I also emailed all the local CWOCNs about the support group.

 

 

 

• Are people you came in contact with through this experience having some needs met through the community activities? Are community activities like these necessary and/or sufficient to fulfill these community and individual needs? Do you see other means to do so?

 

I see that people in the community are helped by the ostomy support group. The group provides them emotional support. A psychiatrist or similar clinician who can counsel ostomates regarding their psychological issues such as depression or isolation may also be helpful but insurance may not always cover mental health. Also there may be patients with no insurance.

The group also tries to help those without any means to get supplies by donating ostomy items that these folks with supply issues need.

This support group is necessary, however, it would be beneficial if the uninsured and the undocumented can get assistance in taking care of their ostomy needs—assistance that is systematic and consistent. Of course, this is a larger national problem. As for undocumented immigrants, that is an ever bigger global issue.

 

• What was the best/worst/most challenging thing that happened this semester?

 

One of the issues that I am seeing in the US and around the world is the disparity in health access.  This is not an easy problem to fix. The US has contributed to healthcare globally. For one, the negative pressure wound therapy or wound VAC was developed here. However, how can healthcare be accessible to all? The price of healthcare in the US is skyrocketing. What I found the most challenging is learning more about healthcare through this DNP program and at the same time trying to live as a nurse practicing in this healthcare system that is not very organized and not affordable to all.

 

The best thing this semester, for me, is the blending of all the activities to a unified whole. For example, the Service Learning activities of trying to encourage more RNs to be CWOCNs via the SALSAL scholarship, and the ostomy support group participation are both relevant to my DNP project of trying to educate home health nurses regarding ostomy care. The readings in the class, and the service learning activities as well as other work and community meetings such as the CWOCN Denver meetings are all very helpful in building my PICO.

 

• What have you learned about yourself?

 

I am enjoying my Catholic Jesuit education. I was raised Catholic and now I am appreciating the faith again. Regis is not only providing me knowledge and skills via the classes I attend. Regis also encourages me to reflect on my work not just as a professional but also as a human being. What I learned about myself is that I feel fortunate being an immigrant in the US since only 1999. English is not my first language. But yet here I am getting my doctorate. I also am fortunate to be a lead in my workplace. I have nursing students and other clinicians consulting me for my expertise. With these gifts that I have, I should reach out and volunteer. The Service Learning activities such as SALSAL and the ostomy support group are just two avenues to serve others.

 

I also learned that nursing is not just work, not just a career. It is a gift. Not many men and women who want to be nurses become one. Not many nurses can also have time and means to get their doctorates. With the blessings I have, I should strive every day to be a better nurse!

 

• What are your future service learning plans?

 

   

I plan to continue supporting SALSAL and the ostomy support group. I hope that I can get a grant after I get my DNP so I can do ostomy education among the rural home health nurses.