Nursing students volunteer at emergency preparedness fair
Eight Nursing students volunteered at the Emergency Shake-Up Fair at the North Seattle Boys & Girls Club in Greenwood in early December. The fair, which featured booths from community service organizations and businesses, aimed to help community members bolster their emergency preparedness. Seattle Central Nursing students created handouts and spoke with the community about the importance of immunization and keeping a spare supply of prescription drugs. They also performed free blood pressure checks on patients, ranging in age from children to senior citizens, under the supervision of instructor Martha Ryland. The event also provided students an opportunity to network with service providers in the area.
The Seattle Central booth was coordinated by nursing student Stefanie Henkel, whose daughter attends the Boys &Girls Club. She persuaded her fellow nursing students volunteer their time, despite the demands of upcoming final exams the following week.
“As future nurses, I feel like making ourselves accessible to the community is part of the job,” Stefanie said. “It was a great experience to educate the public and get practice in the field. I’m really proud of my cohort for stepping up.”