Nursing students at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford are conducting a McKean County Immunization Survey, and reaching out to the community of Bradford in order to do so.
Dr. Tammy Haley, Ph.D, RN, Director of Nursing and Radiological Sciences, together with Dr. Lisa Fiorentino, Associate Professor of Nursing at Pitt-Bradford, are working with BSN Nursing students Kelly Nugent, Rilan Galicic, Richie Brand, Zach Hadfield, Francine Augustine, Tina Moore, Chelsea Erick, Alecia Myers, David Demers, Emily Groves and Jasmina Hajdarevic on the project.
“The survey is an opinion piece, a research project and a statistical survey all in one,” according to Hadfield. “We went into the community of Bradford and asked a variety of questions looking for people’s thoughts and experiences related to vaccinations.”
The students conducted two types of surveys. One was a tangible questionnaire that was sent to local health care professionals, such as local doctors’ offices and pharmacists.
“We asked what type of vaccinations they received, what their stock included and what they gave their patients,” explained Brand. “We focused on recommended vaccinations, so standard ones that everyone is recommended to receive.”
The other part of the survey included a face-to-face interview with community members conducted by the students.
“We went to three local community centers and conducted semi-structured interviews, asking questions regarding their beliefs, knowledge and access to vaccinations,” said Galicic. The three community centers were areas that the students believed to be most likely at risk for not receiving vaccinations.
“Within those, we conducted 24 semi-structured interviews from each location to try and find out their beliefs, knowledge, opinions and access to vaccines,” Groves added.
The goal was to find barriers, and whether or not certain people had access to vaccinations, noted Nugent. She cited transportation opportunities and insurance coverages as potential reasons.
The sample age group included only adults, Nugent clarified. “People above the age of 18.”
In order to conduct the interviews, the students sent teams of two to the three target locations — one person conducted the informal interview while the other took notes.
“The interview was designed to be more of an informal conversation instead of a stressful questionnaire, allowing for a nice, easily flowing conversation that produced the optimal results,” according to Brand. “We wanted both quantitative and qualitative results, and that process gave us the best chance at that.”
This weekend, they’ll be hard at work crunching the data results of the survey.
“The goal is to work towards a more effective community, so that hopefully in the long run, we’ll find a way for everyone to have access to the recommended immunizations,” stated Haley, who commented that the students had much to take away from the project.
“We’re all nurses, so this will benefit us in our careers,” Nugent said.
Hadfield noted, “It really showed us the depth of the local area, and allowed us to take a hand in working towards reaching optimal health in the community. We’re hoping to work through those barriers and help get everyone vaccinated.”
“It was also nice to get off campus and meet new people and get involved,” Brand added.
According to Fiorentino, the McKean County Immunization Survey was a project that will potentially lead to some interesting and informative results.
“The students have done a fantastic job thus far,” Fiorentino commented. “Tammy and I have had conversations where we were concerned that they wouldn’t get the necessary content they needed, but we’ve really been amazed at how much they’ve gathered on this project and the knowledge and experience they’ll walk away with.”
“It’s a way to blend the components of research and how we interact with communities, and put them together in a positive way,” Haley also said.
The students presented the survey at the Bradford Zonta Club meeting on Oct. 25, then again at the Penn York Undergraduate Conference on Nov. 5 at St. Bonaventure University. On Wednesday, the students also presented for the Collaborative Board of McKean County. And on Dec. 2 and 3, they’ll present the project and its findings in Washington, D.C.
“The project is aligned with the Appalachian Teaching Project, an initiative that supported the students’ research in the spring,” Haley noted.
The students are currently enrolled in two courses, Community Health and Nursing Research. This project allowed them to apply information from both courses and draw from each source, Fiorentino explained, while simultaneously learning how to collaborate with other people in the community and learning about community-based processes.
“Reflecting on it, my hope is that they will be able to apply this research, knowledge and experience to their own clinical practice in the future,” she said. “Until you do something, you never really know how to apply it.”
“It allowed the students to meet the objectives of the course while also bringing in something richer,” Haley added. “Something they’ll carry with them beyond their university years.”
