The Dalhousie community will be staying healthier this flu season — or, at least, that’s the hope of a new partnership that bridges the classroom and the clinic.
Student Health Services is partnering up with the School of Nursing and Student Health Promotion to provide nine flu shot clinics across Dal’s three Halifax campuses. They are being held in each of the residences and in the Student Union Building, the Tupper Link and the Sexton Industrial Engineering Building.
Flu shots are also available on the Agricultural Campus: a faculty/staff clinic was held this Wednesday and students can drop into Dal AC Health Services between November 4 and 14 for their shot.
Check here for full details of Dal AC flu clinics.
At the first set of clinics, which took place Wednesday, Nov. 5, nearly 250 individuals received their flu shot within the first two hours.
“We are improving access to service by providing more options for students to be immunized,” said Dr. Glenn Andrea, medical director for Student Health Services. “We aim to reduce absence from school and work across campus.”
From the classroom to the clinic
That improved access — more clinics at more times — is thanks to the partnership with the School of Nursing, as fourth-year nursing students are organizing the clinics and delivering the shots.
“It’s important to provide as many practical learning opportunities for students on campus,” said Derrick Enslow, program manager with Student Health Promotion.
For their community health course practicum, the students have been divided into three groups working on different projects across campus. Along with the flu clinics, other groups are working with Student Health Services and Student Health Promotion on an STI screening clinic and promotion for mental health and LGBTQ rights issues.
For the flu clinic group, this will be their fourth practicum within their nursing program, and the community health course offers a different angle for learning about their field. The students have booked the space, advertised the clinics and will carry out the delivery of the injections. They get to experience planning and executing community interventions.
“It’s very different,” said fourth-year nursing student, Jason Bond. “As opposed to looking at one patient, you’re looking at the community as a whole.”
While the students learn how to give injections in the early part of the nursing program, with the flu clinics they are able to expand their clinical knowledge of immunization—including possible side effects and mitigation strategies, record keeping, and risk assessment.
They are also gaining invaluable experience planning the flu clinics, which they are using as a trial run for the STI screening clinics they will be organizing in the winter.
“It gives us the opportunity to develop our own program and see it through to the end,” said Bond.
A win-win partnership
The idea of the partnership between Student Health Services and Dal Nursing came from a culmination of conversations with the director of the School of Nursing, Dr. Andrea, and Student Services’ executive director of student wellness.
Dr. Andrea says it’s a win-win situation.
“The students gain valuable experience delivering immunizations on mass to the Dalhousie community and Student Health Services is enable to deliver immunizations across campus without disrupting the ongoing delivery of services at our LeMarchant Place location,” he explains.
Enslow also said it ties back to the 100 Days of Listening, and the push to bring together the service and the academic experience on campus.
“It’s bringing together the service side and the academic side to provide more opportunity for students to practice what they are learning in the classroom right on campus,” says Enslow.
Clinic information
For full details on campus flu shots, including clinics and drop-in sessions, visit dal.ca/flu