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Canfield Fair Journal

Abigail R. Langmeyer

Centofanti School of Nursing, Youngstown State University

NURS 3710L: Nursing in the Community

Dr. Mary Shortreed

September 5, 2022
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Canfield Fair Journal

Observing the community at the Canfield Fair was an eye-opening experience. The fair

provided access to a medical building for the community, where YSU college nursing students

offered free blood pressure readings. In addition, the building displays many other free and

accessible booths of many different health fields. For example, some of the displays showcased

dentistry, pharmacy, and planned parenthood. Noticing the community at the fair exploring all

the resources each booth had to offer provided the knowledge and strength the public needs to

stay healthy and safe.

While observing everyone throughout the fair, there were many noticeable similarities

and differences. For instance, everyone at the public fair had access to free blood pressure

readings. On the other hand, the people in the community had many different thoughts and

knowledge on their own health and care. An example includes taking a blood pressure on

someone whose profession is a nurse practitioner versus taking a reading on someone who

studies criminal justice services. These two people in the community are going to have

completely different thoughts and opinions about their own health and especially the healthcare

system. Therefore, everyone in the community has different knowledge and opinions when it

comes to the topic of health.

As a YSU college nursing student, it was vital to teach the community about blood

pressure. For instance, it was crucial for the public to understand how to sit properly and relax in

the chair. However, most of the public had their feet crossed or arms raised. As a nursing student

it was important to correct those habits and provide the most accurate reading possible.

Unfortunately when administering the readings in a little building with tons of noises and
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crowds, the readings became a challenge to hear. Although, nursing students need to

accommodate their surroundings and work with what's provided. In addition, a major lesson

given to the public was the normal range of a blood pressure reading. Surprisingly, many of the

public did not know what a normal range is for blood pressure. It was rewarding to offer this

information to the community, and hopefully the people have learned something new.

Overall, this experience throughout the fair was very informative and educational. YSU

nursing should continue to do this service each year for the fair. This was an appreciable

experience to begin the fall semester. Thank you to all the YSU nursing staff that has made this

event possible.