UNLV, Opportunity Village team up

Class gives students firsthand experience in community nursing

JIM MILLER/VIEWUNLV nursing student Cindy Farhat works with a client at Opportunity Village. UNLV nursing students are volunteering at Opportunity Village as part of their studies. Advertisement

The UNLV nursing program has partnered with Opportunity Village, a nonprofit organization that specializes in assisting people with intellectual disabilities by providing them with vocational training, employment and social recreation services, for a newly heralded, symbiotic program where future nurses can learn about community nursing by serving Opportunity Village clients.

"The program runs one day a week for 12 weeks," said Amanda Shipp, assistant director of communication for Opportunity Village. "This is the first semester that the program is in effect, and we have had nothing but a positive experience so far."

Nursing students at UNLV are required to take at least one course that focuses on community nursing. In the past, students have worked with a women's prison and local homeless shelters, offering basic free services such as blood pressure checks and lectures on hygiene and nutrition.

"It was very hard for my students to be empathetic in some of those situations," said associate professor Nancy Menzel, who pioneered the partnership. "But here, they have had nothing but positive experiences. I hope that this will be something that is ongoing. The students and the clients at (Opportunity Village) are benefiting from this relationship."

This semester's inaugural group consists of eight students who have had the opportunity to provide free blood pressure checks and health education for clients, employees, volunteers and parents at Opportunity Village.

"Part of what we do is come in and talk to them to assess their needs," said nursing student Angelique Milversted. "We will give a talk at the end of the semester touching on things that the clients need to know more about, such as hair washing, teeth brushing. Some of the information will be about how to get better nutrition."

Fellow student Diana Hardy was a bit skeptical at first about how much good she really could do in community nursing. But, she said, this experience has proved to her that it takes only one person to make someone's day or prod him or her to get needed medical care.

"There are some clients here who have not been to the doctor for years," Hardy said. "That's the good thing about the free blood pressure checks. A few people came through that should really be seen, and we had to put the fear of sickness in them so that they would get the care they need."

According to Shipp, many of the clients at Opportunity Village have had negative experiences with doctors and nurses in the past and were wary of this group of nurses in the beginning.

"Many of our clients associate health care professionals with shots," Shipp said. "But, after they were convinced that they wouldn't be hauled off to a room where they would be given a shot, they came around."

Nursing student Michelle Jose of Las Vegas said she has connected with Opportunity Village clients in a way that she wasn't sure she could before.

"They are so loving and willing to share that love," Jose said. "They hug you even if they don't know you. And, sometimes, if they are in line to get a check, it takes them a couple of tries to get through the process. Some come back more than once. But, it's all about learning how to connect."

According to Menzel, the largest complaint among the intellectually disabled in regards to the medical community is that doctors and nurses don't understand them.

"Some of them feel that we don't understand them or treat them well," Menzel said. "That's one thing that we're trying to change here. My students will know, from their experiences here, how to deal with certain patients when they enter their clinic or hospital. So, it's not just about learning for now, but preparation for future experiences."