Running Head: SERVICE LEARNING Service Learning Project ~ Pre-Activity Assignment Delis Bediako Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing September 18, 2013SERVICE LEARNING. My service learning group was chosen to visit the Center for High Blood Pressure in Richmond, Va. 1am looking forward to having this opportunity to reach out to the community and learning and growing both as a nurse and as a person. VK With this service learning activity | hope to gain some experience communicating with people out in the community and | expect to share with them some ofthe ite I have gained while here at Bon Secours Memorial college of nursing. | expect that this willbe a fun activity to do as a group, and a nice chance to get out of the classroom and explore a new healthcare environment that 'm not used to. Considering most of their patients are uninsured am assuming they are either unemployed or \ re ‘i wr , have jobs that don't provide them with insurance, which leaves me to believe they might have a low '\ i ips income. The illnesses they suffer from require both medications and lifestyle changes to maintain them 7 if ‘so | am expecting to be educating them on how to improve and maipttain a healthy lifestyle. In order to / address their needs | would need to know specifically what aes the clinic provides for them. With this information my group can either provide supplemental information or maybe reiterate some of their teaching in a new, fun way. As team leader, | will be able to obtain this information when | speak with the organization contact to set up a time for my group. Servant leadership, to me, is a concept that encompasses exactly what it spells out: Service and leadership. In an article written in The Journal of Nursing Administration, itis described as a model that “encourages the professional growth of nurses and simultaneously promotes the improved delivery of healthcare services through a combination of interdisciplinary teamwork, shared decision making, and ethical behavior’ (Neill, 2008, p 395). They also explain that servant leadership has ten important principles: “listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and community building” (Neill, 2008, p396). | thinkSERVICE LEARNING that as nurses we have a responsibility to be servant leaders not only within our healthcare team, but also within our community. With both this model and the ten principles of servant leadership in mind | have a great opportunity to provide servant leadership to the members of this population. ‘Along with servant leadership there is professionalism, something that we are judged on every day at any job. Particularly for nurses it is important that we show professionalism both in the clinical setting and out in the community where we serve. Professionalism is defined as “professional behavior, \ appearance, and conduct” (Chitty, 2011, p421). As a Bon Secouty Memorial College of Nursing student | Ze hope to display professionalism in my appearance by dressing appropriately in either my uniform or in business casual attire. | can show professionalism in my behavior and conduct by being respectful and polite to my team members and the people we work with at the clinic, using appropriate language (verbal and body language), and working efficiently and effectively. wl ‘A major barrier for this population is a lack of health insurance, People who suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes often need mlcations to maintain optimal health. Without this clinic asa resource, this population would not be able to manage their heath and would be at a greater risk for complications such as kidney failure and heart attacks, and strokes. | hope to gain some knowledge about the diversity that exists among the population of people that suffe from high blood pressure and its related health problems. | think there is definitely a ste reolyedsaceted with hypertension but | believe there may be a greater population outside of that stereotype. In this way | think that the people | will be serving are empower to teach me. Also, as a relatively healthy individual, 1 can learn from their experiences of living with a chronic illness and the constant maintenance required for staying healthy.SERVICE LEARNING References Center for high blood pressure (2006). Retrieved September 12, 2013, from http://www.rahbpc.ore/ Chitty, K. K., Black, B. P. (2011). Professional nursing concepts and challenges (6th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Suanders Elsevier. Neill, M. W., Saunders, N. S. (2008). Servant leadership enhancing quality of care and staff satisfa The Journal of Nursing Administration, 38(9), 395-400