Kelly TranFourth-year nursing student Kelly Tran shares what she learned in a clinical placement with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, this week in the Toldo Health Education Building.

Nursing students share health knowledge

Fourth-year nursing students in clinical placements with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit have been sharing what they learned with the campus community this week, through displays and presentations in the Toldo Health Education Building.

The health fair, mounted by 16 students in instructor Mary Cole’s class “Community Health Nursing,” will wrap up with a final session Thursday morning in the building’s lobby.

Prof. Cole said the exhibits have been popular with students, faculty, and staff stopping in.

“We have received a lot of great comments,” she said. “These students are knowledgeable, creative, and adaptable.”

Several of the students said they were inspired to pursue careers in public health or health promotion.

Student Kelly Tran served her term in the health unit’s oral health department, observing dental screenings and administering vision tests to kindergarten students.

“The clinical placement prepares you for the real world,” she said. “You get the experience of meeting with clients — you’re applying your knowledge.”

Her group’s booth, “The Tooth about You and Eye,” is one of six displayed for the fair. Others offer information on cannabis, smoking cessation, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, the use of naloxone to counteract opioid overdose, and nutrition recommendations from Canada’s Food Guide.

“They’re presenting really current evidence-based research,” Cole said.

And, she noted, the students incorporated interactive elements to engage attendees.

Her student, Andres Novoa, said the exercise helped to develop his presentation skills.

“You learn that you have to be vocal, and you have to make it entertaining as well,” he said.

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