Spring 2008 PDF - University of South Carolina Upstate

Bringing
Care
and
Compassion
to the Homebound
Nursing student Heather Chapman
enjoys interacting with patients such as
Mrs. Lewis as part of her placement with
the Mobile Meals nursing ministry.
BY HEATHER ALEXANDER-ENGELBRECHT
It is one thing to sit in a classroom, or even in a laboratory, and
learn the ins and outs of one’s desired profession. It is quite
another to put that knowledge into action. But that is just what
a partnership between Mobile Meals of Spartanburg and the
Mary Black School of Nursing at USC Upstate is doing for
today’s nursing students.
Course coordinator Charlene Walton, EdD, RN, and Jenny
Holmes, MSN, RN, select eight senior nursing students per
semester to work with nurses from Mobile Meals nursing
ministry in conducting in-home visits to meal recipients. During
these visits the students, who work in pairs, initially conduct a
health history and family assessment to identify the healthcare
needs of each client. Based on that information, the students
then develop a teaching/learning plan and over the course
of the next five weeks, implement that plan. These plans can
cover anything from vascular disease and nutritional education
to proper medication management and home safety.
Since 1977, Mobile Meals has been delivering meals and
compassion to the frail and homebound in the Spartanburg
area. After seeing that many of the neediest people in the
county had no access to healthcare, Mobile Meals president
and CEO Jayne McQueen led the effort to secure $288,000
in seed money from the Mary Black Foundation, and in 2002,
with the help of Wylene Bailey, RN, and Janet Shaw, both
former Mobile Meals board members, the organization’s
Nursing Ministry began serving patients.
While no one can quite remember just how this partnership
between Mobile Meals and the University’s nursing students
developed, everyone involved agrees that it is an invaluable
learning experience for future nurses and a great asset to one
of Spartanburg’s vital community agencies. “Anytime you can
partner with others in the community it helps to further your
own [organization’s] mission,” says Bailey. Dr. Marsha Dowell,
dean of the Mary Black School of Nursing, agrees. “Whenever
an academic unit can partner with someone in the community
to augment and enhance a program while students learn is
beneficial to everyone. Our students help vulnerable members
of the community and learn to apply both theories and caring
in an environment that is incredibly supportive of them.”
During the five-week community nursing rotation, students
have an opportunity to experience first-hand the challenges and
rewards that come from working with patients who often fall
through the cracks of traditional medical services. “Community
health allows you to remember this is a whole person,” says
Shaw. “In clinical settings, people are often categorized by the
disease [they have], but community nurses see them in their
homes and it gives them a broader picture of the person.” In
addition to taking vital signs and helping the patients with their
healthcare needs, often what the patient needs most is just a
visitor to listen to their thoughts and concerns. “The greatest
need for many of our patients is loneliness,” says Bailey. “They
love the youthful energy the students bring when they visit.”
Heather Chapman, a senior nursing student, has found her
placement with the Mobile Meals nursing ministry to be a
perfect match. “I would recommend this experience 100% to
other nursing students. This experience humbles you as you
visit so many different types of homes,” says Chapman. “Just
because you think you know what people are going through,
you see a whole different perspective when you go into their
environment.”
As Mrs. Lewis opens the door, her face lights up at the sight of
the students who have come to visit her. Mobile Meals began
visiting Mrs. Lewis and her husband of 54 years when he got
sick with Parkinson’s disease. Now that he is in a nursing
home, Mrs. Lewis says it does get lonely but she appreciates
the nursing ministry’s visits. Bailey, one of the two full-time
nurses who staff the nursing ministry, stops by regularly to see
how she is doing and to just listen. Mrs. Lewis also enjoys
the students’ visits. “The students are so nice. I had my 81st
birthday and Heather brought me a birthday card. It was the
sweetest thing,” she said. “It means so much to me. They’re so
loving and kind.”
As they sit and talk about how she’s feeling and her recent
visit to her husband, it is obvious Mrs. Lewis has had just as
much of an impact on Chapman. “Mrs. Lewis has given me
more than I could have ever imagined. She is an absolute joy
to work with.”
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