Running head: SERVICE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Summary Service Learning Experience

Kaitlyn Baldwin
Ferris State University

SERVICE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Service at the Northern Regional Bleeding Disorders Clinic

The service learning experience was completed the summer of 2014. My RN to BSN
journey and the service learning project incorporated the learning objectives for Ferris State
Universities capstone. The purpose of the service learning project is to show professional
development and growth as a nurse in the RN to BSN program. I volunteered for the Northern
Regional Bleeding Disorders Center. During the project I volunteered total of 25 hours (see
appendix) with the agency. I will discuss my critical reflection of my experience during those
hours of service and how they apply to the RN to BSN objectives. The service learning
experience provided me with the insight specific to nursing and I helped patients all over the
United States without having direct care. I through this experience I made an impact on patients
health outcomes with very specific interventions related to pain management.
Agency Description
The agency where I volunteered my time is called the Northern Regional Bleeding
Disorders Center. It is located in Traverse City, Michigan and is affiliated with Munson Medical
Center. The Northern Regional Bleeding Disorders Center is a branch of the nationally
recognized Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hemophilia Treatment Centers
(HTC). The role of this agency in the community is to provide the necessary medical care and
resources to patients who have blood discrasias, such as hemophilia. The center opened in
Traverse City in 1986 and services patients from all over upper and northern Michigan (M. Hall,
personal communication, May 29, 2014).
The CDC provides resources for patients who have bleeding disorders and is committed
to reducing the chronic problems that are linked to these types of diseases. A CDC study of

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3,000 people with hemophilia showed that those who used an HTC were 40% less likely to die of
a hemophilia-related complication compared to those who did not receive care at a treatment
center. Similarly, people who used a treatment center were 40% less likely to be hospitalized for
bleeding complications (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).
Some of the reasons patients use the HTC is to get necessary clotting factors. Some patients are
seen on a daily or bi-daily basis. They receive frequent IV infusions, and receive disease consultation
from the clinics two Nurse Practitioners (NP) and one social worker (MSW). The NPs and MSW manage
the patients disease as a team, the patients can be treated as in-patients or out-patients. If the disease is not
managed properly there are serious health implications such as damage to joints, nerve damage, internal
hemorrhage, infection and in rare cases death. (M. Hall, Personal Communication, May 29, 2014).

Volunteer Role Description

In my volunteer role I was assigned to undertake a project called The Buzzy Bee
distraction Kit. NPs, Michelle Witkop DNP and Margaret Hall FNP. I organized and
implemented the project. The Clinic received funding from the National Hemophilia Foundation
to financially support the production of these kits (M. Witkop, Personal communication June 3,
2014). The funding and the volunteer service hours I provided created 140 distraction kits that
were distributed to the HTCs all over the United States.
I did not have any direct patient care. The service I provided was non-pharmacological
interventions that nurses can utilize as distraction from the frequent needle pokes done to the
patients with bleeding disorders. The kits have toys, a vibration tool called Buzzy Bee that
blocks the pain from shots and IV starts; and a flash drive that has resource information, videos,
games and also an electronic version of a poke plan that parents can use for when their

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children are going to get a poke. My main role was to create the kit and deliver it to the HTCs
all over the nation.
Critical Evaluation
Based on the Ferris State University (FSU) requirements the BSN students need to master
specific objectives to show as a capstone at the end of the BSN journey. I provided evidenced
based research in creating the distraction kit. I showed scholarship for practice and collaborative
leadership roles in the provision, delegation, and supervision of nursing care while retaining
accountability for patient safety and the quality of that care. I assimilated current evidence into
the practice of nursing FSU, 2011). During the research process I analyzed the credibility of
sources of information and knowledge which shows a theoretical base for practice.
I utilized information technology to communicate effectively and to collaborate with
other health care professionals. During the creation of the kits I also negotiated the cost of the
supplies with the manufactures of the different components of this kit to lower the financial
burden of putting together the kit. This allowed for multiple forms of distraction and a resource
to be available for the HTCs who received the kit. In this experience I learned collaborative
leadership.
The Buzzy Bee distraction kit is now a resource for dozens of HTCs nationwide to help
pediatric patients who have a bleeding disorder to cope with the treatments they receive such as
clotting factor infusions, and blood tests. The distraction kits are geared easing the pain response
associated with these treatments towards. Because of the amount of needle pokes this patient
population experiences, some patients develop a fear of needles. This psychological response is
called Needle phobia is a formal medical condition affecting approximately 10% of the world
population and characterized within the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostics and

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Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) by the presence of fear and the occurrence of
avoidance behavior( Sokolowski, Giovannitti, Boynes, 2010). This specifically meets all the
criteria objectives Ferris State University (FSU) requires BSN students to master.
In the service hours I implemented evidenced based research to improve the health care
environment. I made pre distribution assessments regarding distraction as a pain management
tactic. To evaluate the success of the kits I made a post distribution survey to assess new
knowledge and use of the distraction kit. The survey that was distributed in June 2014, to dozens
of HTCs nationwide assessed the need and desire to have a kit. During the course of my service
time about of the HTCs responded and they received the first kits made in August. The post
surveys will be sent out in December as a six month check up on how the HTCs are utilizing the
kits. The impact of these kits on the community, locally and also nationwide, is important for the
patients who need care at a HTC. When the survey results are analyzed new interventions will
then be adjusted for future kits. The practice-roles and settings that I was involved in show how
this benefits the health care environment. I Advocate for improving health care across the
continuum of health care environments (FSU, 2011).
In this project I examined and demonstrated the idea of lifelong learning and service to
support excellence in nursing practice and professionalism. The important factor to discuss about
the service learning experience is the benefit that was realized by multiple parties; the patient
population who has a bleeding disorder, the Northern Regional Bleeding Disorders Clinic and
me. The service learning Project gave me the opportunity to work as a partner in the community
and serve a vulnerable population. The community partners needs are addressed when their
identified goals are accomplished with the assistance of students. The students needs are
addressed when their learning is augmented by experiences in service (Laurent, 2010).

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I learned the process of advocating on a national level. I utilized nursing interventions of

pain relief for a specialized vulnerable population. The leg work involved in implementing this
type of project on this large scale has taught me how to reach the objectives of the RN to BSN
program. Through this project I performed and examined current nursing practices, using the
American Nurses Association (ANA) Scope and Standards of Professional Practice and the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) competencies for quality and safety as frameworks. It may also be
argued that leadership in nursing begins with the nurse educator, and is promoted by nurse
leaders across all practice settings where students are engaged in learning (Kalb et. al., 2012).
This shows a base of generalist nursing practice. With the use of the information learned in this
project, I built the components of my professional nursing practice. I have shown scholarship for
practice in my capstone presentation of the service learning project.

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References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). Hemophilia treatment centers. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hemophilia/htc.html
Ferris State University. (2011). BSN Program Outcomes. Retrieved from
http://www.ferris.edu/colleges/alliedhe/Nursing/BSN-program-outcomes.htm
Kalb, K.A., OConner-Von, S.K., Schipper, L.M., Watkins, A.K., Yetter, D.M. (2012).
Educating leaders in nursing: faculty perspectives. International Journal of Nursing
Education Scholarship, 9(1), 1-13. Doi:10.1515/1548-923X.2215
Laurent, C.P. (2010). Service learning. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing.
39(2) p. 135. Retrieved from http://0onlinelibrary.wiley.com.libcat.ferris.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1552-6909.2010.01102.x/pdf
Sokolowski, C.J., Giovannitti, J.A., Boynes, S.G. (2010). Needle phobia: etiology, adverse
consequences, and patient management. Dental Clinics of North America. 54(4), 731744.

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Appendix