This session presents faculty, community partner, and nursing student perspectives about community engagement experiences designed to prepare nurses to contribute to reducing health disparities and develop a commitment to improving the health of diverse populations. Challenges, relationship development, and benefi ts for students and communities affected by health disparities will be discussed. Marjorie Schaffer Professor Bethel University Diane Bonniwell Licensed School Nurse Minneapolis Public Schools Julie De Haan Assistant Professor Bethel University Gloria Thomas Pastor Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church Jeannine Holqmquist Senior Nursing Student Bethel University

1. 6/14/2014
1
June 13, 2014
Marjorie Schaffer – Professor, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota
Diane Bonniwell, Licensed School Nurse, Minneapolis Public Schools
Julie De Haan, Assistant Professor, Bethel University
Gloria Thomas, Pastor, Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church
Jeannine Holmquist, Senior Nursing Student, Bethel University
Bethel University
 Small private liberal arts college
 Suburban location with proximity to major
metropolitan area
 78 - 90 nursing students in each class
 8% diversity – traditional undergraduates
 Values include reconciliation
and peacemaking
Community Engagement
Definition: Applying institutional resources to address
and solve challenges facing communities through
collaboration with these communities (CCPH)
Curricular Goals:
Prepare nurses who will:
 Contribute to reducing health disparities
 Develop cultural sensitivity and competence
 Develop commitment to serving diverse and
vulnerable populations
Community Engagement Structure
 Students remain in same site for 5 semesters
 2 to 4 students per site
 Agency and faculty liaison for each site
 About 40 community sites
 Community Engagement Coordinator
 Churches 10 sites
 Schools 5 sites
 Early Childhood 6 sites
Screening/Services
 Head Start 9 sites
 Supportive Housing
for Adults with Disabilities 6 sites
 CD and DV Services 4 sites
 Cancer Support Services 1 site
Community Sites Preparation
 Focus groups with 11 organizations - churches,
schools, non-profit agencies, long-term care facility
 Racial Reconciliation Lunches with all nursing
faculty
 Lunch and Learn Sessions (Alumni grant)
 2 on campus, 4 at Community Engagement sites
 Community partners invited
 Dialogue about Unnatural Causes DVD series (focus
on health disparities)
http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/
 Community Engagement Coordinator

2. 6/14/2014
2
Student Learning Experiences
 Orientation
 Assess population and environment
 Identify health implications
 Health promotion presentation
 Chronic illness project
 25-hour group projectdetermined by agency
 Projectevaluation
 Poster presentation
Supports for Student Learning
 Established student CE Student Council
 CE Partnership Meetings
 Community Engagement Coordinator
 Grant Support
 Bethel Alumni Association (2 grants)
 Minnesota Campus Compact
 Association of American Colleges and Universities
Panel Discussion: Perspectives of
Community Engagement
Briefly share one story from your community engagement
experience. In connection with the story:
1. What did you see as your main responsibility?
2. What do you see as community strengths?
3. What did you find to be challenging or frustrating about
your experience?
4. What did you find to be rewarding or joyful about your
experience?
5. What is the take-a-way for working with and in
community organizations for building and sustaining
partnerships?
Evaluation of CE Curriculum
Year 1
 Surveys - students, faculty, and community partners
 Focus groups with sophomores
Year 2
 Focus groups with juniors
Year 3
 Surveys – students, faculty, and community partners
 Focus groups with senior students and community
partners
Participants
Group Year 1
Sophomores
Year 2
Juniors
Year 3
Seniors
Students Survey: Expectations
for CE (n = 88)
Focus groups
(n = 8; n = 9)
Two Focus
Groups
(n = 8; n = 6)
Survey (n = 50)
Focus Groups
(n = 6; n = 6)
Comm
Partners Survey (n = 9)
Survey (n = 8)
Focus Groups
(n = 6; n = 6)
Faculty Survey (n = 9) Survey
(n = 7)
Student Perceptions - End of Program
n = 50 %
Helped to understand challenges faced by
community members in accessing health care
62%
Reflection about CE experiences somewhat or
very helpful
62%
Orientation was poor 54%
Would not repeat a similar experience 66%

3. 6/14/2014
3
Student Perceptions of Growth
in Knowledge
Mean
before
CE
Mean
after
CE
p-
value
1. The types of community resources available
for the population with whom I worked
2.41 3.04 .0004*
2. How health care delivery systems (e.g.
managed care) impact my work in the
community
2.45 2.87 .0166*
3. The health care needs of the community in
which I served
2.55 3.43 .0001*
4. The responsibilities of other professionals
in a multidisciplinary team
2.78 3.22 .0128*
5. The barriers to receiving health care in the
community that I served
2.53 3.41 .0001*
Student Perceptions of Growth
in Knowledge
before
CE
n = 49
after
CE
n = 46
p-
value
6. The impact of socioeconomicstatus
on health and illness
3.12 3.67 .0016*
7. How my agency is perceived in the
community
2.20 2.93 .0002*
8. How to work with clients/patients
who havevarious levels of health
care knowledge
2.78 3.33 .0015*
9. What the terms “community
resources” and “community service”
mean
2.88 3.28 .0195*
Community Partners – Key Messages
 Open communication is important.
 An alignment of goals between community partner
and academia is important.
 Students need to learn to be comfortable with
being uncomfortable.
 Student learning is important to the community.
 It is important to connect with diverse professional
populations.
Faculty Survey (year 3)
Agreement
 Faculty should be role models for community
service
 Have a responsibility to serve community
Disagree/neutral responses
 Helped to clarify focus for scholarship
 Became more comfortable with working with
people different from self
 Resulted in a change in teaching style
Revisions
1. Needed greater flexibility for CE sites
2. Created CE Oversight Faculty Committee with
members having several sites
3. Framed CE experiences as “clinical”
4. Added more structure forguiding students
 Scheduled orientation to senior project to
encouragestudents to start early
 Added weekly CE seminar to senior year fall
semester to provide greatersupport for student
activities
 Enhanced student accountability through CE logs
Discussion of Scenarios
Small Group Discussion: An opportunity to share
your thoughts and ideas
For further information contact:
Marjorie Schaffer
m-schaffer@bethel.edu