| Learning Objective #1: Discuss strategies to engage children in positive health-career discussions and activities | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe the outcomes of the "Picture Yourself a Nurse" Program |
The national nursing shortage has emphasized the need to promote nursing and all health profession to today's youth. To supplement the federal "Kids Into Health Careers" initiative, faculty partnered with community agencies to bring the world of nursing to the forefront of children's thoughts. Guided by social cognition theory and the Healthy Cities framework, children from kindergarten through grade 12 were targeted. Participants, however, included babies to young adults. During 2002, 572 persons participated in the "Picture Yourself A Nurse" project. Nursing faculty and students provided children in schools and at health fairs and community events the opportunity to meet and talk with nurses, receive a free photograph of themselves dressed as a nurse, and receive colorful brochures, coloring books, activities and stickers related to health and nursing. Demographic data, anecdotal records, parent and child verbal comments and photographs were collected and analyzed. This initiative had overwhelming success. Children and their parents waited in lines to participate in the activity. Agency satisfaction has been 100%, with requests for additional sessions. Young persons outside the targeted age group have requested to participate; preschoolers, young adults, and parents of babies requested to have their baby photographed as a nurse. Some children had little knowledge about nursing and the diverse career opportunities. All participants were eager to learn more about nursing and in some cases other health careers. Parents consistently commented on the nursing shortage and viewed the profession positively as a career choice. Because today's children will need to be tomorrow's health care providers, mechanisms to engage in this dialogue in positive and fun ways are needed. Bringing nursing into the conscious thoughts of children and their parents may influence the future choice of a nursing career. (Funded by US PHS grant #1D11HP00239-01.)
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