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Our Council's Own Interest Project: Discover Nursing

Girl Scouts from outside Patriots' Trail Council may earn our Council's Own badges and IP's. However, you should check with your own council to see if they will accept them towards official recognitions like the Silver Award or Gold Award.  Order by calling 1-866-268-8653 or www.girlscoutshop.org.

Skill Builders

1. Read about the history of nursing. What influences did Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale have on nursing?
2. Find out what the following terms mean: patient confidentiality; malpractice; universal precautions; and ethics. Think about what they mean in terms of patient care.
3. Look at some of the major health issues facing teens today. Select an issue that interests you and do some research on it. How are health care professionals addressing this issue? What organizations are involved with education on or providing support for this issue.
4. Earn your First Aid and CPR certification cardiopulmonary resuscitation)
5. Develop your family's health history. Include aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Document their age, medical conditions, and occupation. Do you see any patterns in your family's medical history?
6. Investigate some of the health care practices of another culture, or country, (i.e. Herbal medicine, acupuncture, Reiki). Compare them with Western medicine. How do they interact?
7. Following are professional nursing organizations. How do they relate to nursing? ANA, NLN, ENA, NSNA, MRNA. What are their missions? Attend a meeting of one of these organizations, if possible.

Technology

1. Learn from a health care professional some of the basic skills a nurse may perform for a patient (i.e. temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure)
2. Find out what these tests are for and what are there differences. MRI, MRA, CAT Scan, X-Rays, and PET Scan.
3. Visit your local library or a nursing school library. Look through some nursing journals or books. OR Explore some of the internet resources listed in the resource section of this Interest Project Patch.
4. What are germs/infections? Please describe them. How are they spread in our environment as well as in the hospital setting and outpatient facilities (i.e. clinics and physician offices)? What methods are used in the hospital and physician office to prevent the spread off disease (germs/infection)? What is the most important action a nurse can take to prevent the spread of disease?
5. Learn about some of the equipment nurses use (i.e. computers, pulse oximeters, dopplers, blood pressure cuff, IV pumps, Pyxis, monitors)
6. Research and investigate what types of equipment a nurse would use for a specific condition (unknown to you). (i.e. asthma, heart condition, labor, broken bones)

Service Projects

1. Make a display on the benefits of becoming a nurse. Present it at a career fair or to younger Girl Scouts.
2. Investigate the community health projects in your area (i.e. Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns, Multiple Sclerosis Walk, Blood Drives). Learn about their cause, then choose one to volunteer for. Help with registration, passing out water at a walk, etc. You cannot help with fund raising as stated in Safety-Wise.
3. Volunteer in a health care facility, nursing home, clinic, hospital, or doctor's office. Share your experience with others.
4. Do a service project for a health care facility. Contact a health care facility to see what they need done. Organize a group of your peers to help with the project if necessary.

Career Exploration

1. Interview a nurse who has at least two years experience. What are the benefits to becoming a nurse? Did they face any challenges while pursuing their education? Has nursing changed since they began their career?
2. There are many different areas a nurse can specialize in. Explore two options and list the advantages and/or challenges of working in those areas.
3. Explore and compare the various types of nursing programs, the types of degrees offered, and the entrance requirements. What classes would you need to take in high school to be eligible to be accepted in these programs?
4. Discover and then describe at least four nursing careers outside of the normal hospital setting. What additional education is required, if any, for these areas of nursing.
5. Explore scholarships and grants that are available to nursing students.
6. Shadow a nurse for two to four hours.

Web Resources

www.discovernursing.com

www.nursepower.net

www.nsna.org

www.nursesource.org

nursingworld.org

www.nursingsociety.org

www.aone.org

www.aacn.nche.edu

www.nursewebsearch.com