Utilizing Academic–Community Partnerships With Nursing Students to Improve Hand Hygiene in Elementary Students to Reduce Transmission of COVID-19. (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Perry, Julie; McClure, Natasha; Palmer, Rebecca; Neal, Jeremy L.
• Is Part Of: NASN school nurse. Volume 36:Number 6(2021)
• Page Start: 333
• Page End: 338
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- academic–community partnerships -- hand hygiene education -- school nurses; School nursing -- United States -- Periodicals; Health education (Secondary) -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 371.712097305
• DOI: 10.1177/1942602X20986958
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1942-602X

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raised awareness about the vital role school nurses have in improving the overall health of children. School nurses provide health promotion within schools, yet over 60% of schools have only a part-time nurse or no nurse. Nursing students may be valuable partners for health promotion and academic–community partnerships may be mutually beneficial to schools of nursing and local schools. Using a nursing student team to teach hand hygiene while school health staff were present provided an opportunity for hands-on training to help the staff master curriculum content and ensure competency. This article describes a collaborative partnership initiative that expanded access to health promotion education in schools to increase knowledge about reducing the spread of infectious disease, such as COVID-19, while providing valuable clinical experiences for nursing students.