According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2007 almost 30% of children ages 1 to 4 who died of an unintentional injury died of drowning. The ED nurses at Baptist Children’s Hospital in Miami know firsthand that those statistics are real.
Last year, a small group of nurses began an educational campaign to reach out to the community and proactively do their part to prevent these occurrences. RNs Haydee Fernandez, Peggy Sue Figueroa, Melissa Samuels, Michelle Fontaine, Lisandro Ortega, Ari Delvalle, Alexandra Varela and Rosie Rodriguez-Henderson took part in the campaign.
The nurses volunteered at local elementary schools to educate students about water safety. The children ranged in age from 4 to 11.
This year, the nurses expanded their campaign by encouraging all clinical and non-clinical staff members in the department to participate. Thanks to the growing team of RNs, ED techs, unit secretaries and physician assistants, the nurses were able to increase the number of elementary schools they visited from three in 2009 to eight in 2010.
“The excitement in the children’s faces when they answer questions about water safety is priceless,” Figueroa said.
At the end of the presentation, the nurses gave the children a two-part homework assignment. The first part was to go home and discuss with adults what they learned during the presentation. The second, and possibly the most enjoyable part of the assignment for the children, involved giving their parents homework. The assignment consisted of parents’ reading a flyer and discussing with their children what they learned from their reading.
As one of the children was being picked up after school, she told her dad a nurse had taught her about water safety and that she had important homework for him to do that night. The dad gave the nurse a big smile and thanked her. At that moment, the team knew its efforts were worthwhile.
Last year, a small group of nurses began an educational campaign to reach out to the community and proactively do their part to prevent these occurrences. RNs Haydee Fernandez, Peggy Sue Figueroa, Melissa Samuels, Michelle Fontaine, Lisandro Ortega, Ari Delvalle, Alexandra Varela and Rosie Rodriguez-Henderson took part in the campaign.
The nurses volunteered at local elementary schools to educate students about water safety. The children ranged in age from 4 to 11.
This year, the nurses expanded their campaign by encouraging all clinical and non-clinical staff members in the department to participate. Thanks to the growing team of RNs, ED techs, unit secretaries and physician assistants, the nurses were able to increase the number of elementary schools they visited from three in 2009 to eight in 2010.
“The excitement in the children’s faces when they answer questions about water safety is priceless,” Figueroa said.
At the end of the presentation, the nurses gave the children a two-part homework assignment. The first part was to go home and discuss with adults what they learned during the presentation. The second, and possibly the most enjoyable part of the assignment for the children, involved giving their parents homework. The assignment consisted of parents’ reading a flyer and discussing with their children what they learned from their reading.
As one of the children was being picked up after school, she told her dad a nurse had taught her about water safety and that she had important homework for him to do that night. The dad gave the nurse a big smile and thanked her. At that moment, the team knew its efforts were worthwhile.
Rosie Rodriguez-Henderson, RN/MHL, is an advanced clinician in the ED at Baptist Children’s Hospital. To comment, e-mail editorFL@nursingspectrum.com.
