Melina Barragan

NURS479

Professional Activity Assignment

I participated in the Rural Health conference in Flagstaff Arizona this past summer. The

focus of the conference was to shine a light on rural communities and their healthcare systems in

place, and how to better improve and raise awareness for these services. As part of this trip, we

also travel to Tuba City, where we toured and further learned about the health center on the

reservation and how Native American health is structured. The event took place in Flagstaff

Arizona at Northern Arizona University, the conference was two days with one day spent in the

city. This was a part of the OASIS and ANIE summer intensives which focused on rural and

geriatric health from nursing perspectives, and how to better our communities as nursing

students.

While at this conference, I was able to make connections with several community leaders

and healthcare workers who broadened my horizons as to what I look for in a healthcare

profession. I was also able to attend several Keynote Speaker lectures that tackle topics ranging

anywhere from rural dentistry to gun violence, and how these topics connect to community

health and public health concerns. I was also able to tour and experience healthcare on

reservations and different public health issues affect this population at disproportionate rates.

I plan to when they work in public health whether it be as a registered nurse, or as a nurse

practitioner. I was also introduced to the possibility of becoming a physician’s assistant while

attending this conference and may explore that avenue as well. The information I learned at this

conference, and at the Tuba City health center will further help me determine what areas of

public health I can best assist and make a difference in. I will also use the information I learned
at this conference, to raise awareness and support these communities as best I can while working

in hospitals or other healthcare settings by making my peers around me more conscious and

understanding of these various public health issues.

I would absolutely recommend this experience to anyone who is interested in working in

or with the public or going into rural health. These types of clinical hold a special place in my

heart and rural health can mean so many different things, depending on which community you

work in. For anyone interested in becoming a public health nurse, a community health nurse, a

nurse practitioner, or having any involvement with the public. I recommend attending a

conference or touring a campus, like these to expand your knowledge further into how you can

help these communities and spread more information about these public health concerns.