Community Teaching Work Plan Proposal, Essay Example

Summary of teaching plan

An educational program to address the needs of a community in the event of a bioterrorism threat or disaster requires careful planning and execution in order to achieve the intended results and a level of calm among the general public that will facilitate the required actions. Nurses must actively participate in a bioterrorism community education strategy because they offer clinical and health-based insights that community residents would require in the event of an attack or threat. Nurses must assume an active leadership role in this process and provide oversight regarding the proposed program in order to evaluate its effectiveness.

The teaching plan will support nursing-based knowledge regarding bioterrorism and the needs of community residents who require education to enable effective decision-making in the event that will facilitate the appropriate actions during a bioterrorism threat or disaster that requires some form of immediate action. The proposed efforts will educate community residents using a combination of approaches to offer a one-hour program for adults between the ages of 18-72 to address bioterrorism and a subsequent disaster in the context of a real-life threat to the livelihood of a given population group. The proposed teaching plan will incorporate the key criteria that are associated with bioterrorism and will determine how to best approach this series of events and to sustain the least possible level of damage while this protocol is executed. This plan will also aim to support and engage community residents in taking the steps that are required to achieve optimal protection in the community in the event that a bioterrorism attack or disaster has occurred.

Epidemiological rationale for topic

Bioterrorism preparedness is an essential training tool because it engages community residents in a threat that is both real and timely, and supports their ability to take better notice of any events that may cause problems beyond what is already likely to occur (Nyamanthi et.al, 2007). The risks associated with bioterrorism are very high and often immediately pose a threat to human beings across all age groups (Nyamanthi et.al, 2007). Bioterrorism preparation requires expert knowledge and a greater understanding of the serious nature of these events and the significance of taking immediate action to prevent further damage or harm to the environment and to individual community residents who may be in serious danger (Nyamanthi et.al, 2007). The concept of “rapid reaction” must be considered because it supports and engages nurses in different types of knowledge that they are generally unfamiliar with, and it reinforces the need for positive attitudes regarding bioterrorism education to ensure that the best possible decisions are made to support nurses’ commitment to bioterrorism preparedness (Aghaei & Nesami, 2013).

Hunter, LeFebver, & Dockter (2012) argue that significant precautionary measures must be taken in order to achieve optimal preparedness for a terrorist attack (Hunter et.al, 2012). This strategy requires healthcare facilities to be fully prepared for these events and to be proactive in meeting all possible training needs, including nurses and other healthcare providers to disseminate these results down to local community residents (Hunter et.al, 2012). Any intervention within the community requires a high level understanding and acceptance of the true threat of bioterrorism because this shapes whether or not the education regarding this phenomenon is taken seriously at the community level, where the threat is entirely real and lasting in some cases (Hunter et.al, 2012).

Disaster surge training appears to be limited in some respects, thereby requiring nurses to acquire this training to improve their competencies in this skillset (Chiu, Polivka, & Stanley, 2012). This practice will ensure that nurses receive the background and training that is necessary to actively participate in a disaster if necessary (Chiu et.al, 2012). Nurses’ intent to respond during a disaster event may be based on their personal experiences, such as children at home and level of field experience (Grimes & Mendias, 2010).

Evaluation of teaching experience

Nurses must be effectively prepared themselves to execute a bioterrorism strategy and also be comfortable in executing the strategy that has been identified. Furthermore, nurses’ own level of preparedness may be called into question and must be thoroughly demonstrated in order to meet the objectives of the strategy (Smith & Hewison, 2012). Nurses must be willing to contribute if a bioterrorism event were to take place within the community through an active leadership and prospective infection control method (Smith & Hewison, 2012). These methods will enable nurses to be fully aware of the risks related to bioterrorism and to express these issues in an educational format that will promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of the challenges related to the condition (Smith & Hewison, 2012).

Educating community residents regarding bioterrorism requires a level of patience and skill that may not be easily recognized or understood at the beginning of the program, but its importance is likely to be taken more seriously over time. A successful educational program will receive positive feedback and will offer recommendations for improvement that may be considered and adopted in the future. Nurses are likely to experience a greater sense of satisfaction if they recognize that their efforts are well received and that the community is responsive and compliant to the teaching strategy and the recommendations that are made. Educating community members may be difficult; therefore, this process requires an important understanding of the challenges of instruction regarding a significant threat that could threaten and harm community residents in the future. Community-based approaches must be practical yet sensitive to the fears and apprehension that are natural during these events; therefore, nurses must be able to provide a sense of calm and control that will have a positive impact on the outcomes of the training and the events that occur thereafter.

Community response to teaching

Local community residents must recognize that the threat of bioterrorism and disaster are frighteningly real, as this will encourage them to listen closely and accept the advice of nursing professionals in regards to preserving their own health and wellbeing in the event of a bioterrorist attack. If community members take these actions seriously, they are likely to be effective in meeting the demands of the larger public response to this event. In the home teaching environment, a nurse is likely to be successful if there is positive and meaningful feedback on the survey instrument to demonstrate that participants are paying attention to the situation and are willing to consider that it is a realistic possibility that a bioterrorist attack could occur. If they are fully prepared, their level of acceptance and comfort are likely to be much greater in this context.

Areas of strengths and areas of improvement

In order for a bioterrorism education program administered by nurses to be successful, it is important to identify the tools and resources that are required to ensure that the program is successful from its inception. The program in question will adopt this perspective with the intent to improve the community response to this event. The true test of success will be if the nurse receives favorable feedback, but also receives a high level of support from the healthcare community that the program is important, necessary, and timely within the community at large. With this type of focus in place, it will be necessary to modify the instructional content based on timely news events and other types of information that are received within the community and beyond regarding bioterrorist threats, many of whom appear to be very far away in significance but pose more of a threat. A nurse should experience a sense of satisfaction and contentment if the bioterrorism education program is well received, supported, and funded by those responsible for its execution.

Most importantly, the information that is shared with community members by nurses must be easily understood and must focus on the most important areas that will facilitate compliance and understanding of these roles. Community members are likely to be receptive to programmatic techniques that emphasize the most critical points and that use key words to improve the response and to enable the information to sink in. In the event of a disaster, the teaching plan must be entirely sufficient to enable residents to be proactive in response to an actual bioterrorism event and to recognize the serious nature and potential consequences if they do not act appropriately. Nurses must be able to convey this importance and provide residents with valid and practical reasons to be proactive in preparing for and in the actual event of a bioterrorist threat. These efforts will demonstrate that nurses have provided a clear, distinct, rational, and appropriate message to community members that is likely to guide them if they are required to take action in response to a bioterrorism event.

References

Aghaei, N., & Nesami, M. B. (2013). Bioterrorism education effect on knowledge and attitudes of nurses. Journal of emergencies, trauma, and shock, 6(2), 78.

Casillas, A. (2012). Nurses’ Perceptions of Content and Delivery Style of Bioterrorism Education. Diabetes.

Chiu, M., Polivka, B. J., & Stanley, S. A. (2012). Evaluation of a Disaster?Surge Training for Public Health Nurses. Public Health Nursing, 29(2), 136-142.

Grimes, D. E., & Mendias, E. P. (2010). Nurses’ intentions to respond to bioterrorism and other infectious disease emergencies. Nursing outlook, 58(1), 10-16.

Hunter, C., LeFebver, R., & Dockter, D. (2012). Who’s Ready for a Bioterrorist Attack? Preparation, Biosurveillance, and Response.

Nyamathi, A. M., King, M., Casillas, A., Gresham, L. S., & Mutere, M. (2007). Nurses’ perceptions of content and delivery style of bioterrorism education. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 23(6), 251-257.

Smith, C., & Hewison, A. (2012). Are nurses prepared to respond to a bioterrorist attack: a narrative synthesis. Journal of advanced nursing, 68(12), 2597-2609.