SIT’s Cardiac Health Day held recently on campus surpassed expectations and continues to grow, as it seeks to engage people in free primary-care health checks and provide training opportunities for SIT Nursing students.
More than 70 people took advantage of the free health checks at the all-day event held on 17th October, which is in its second year. Students utilised a variety of on-campus locations for their Cardiac Education Day, including Heart Checks, HoloLens and simulation activities, reflection/debrief/feedback, and medication profile/fun group pic.
Organiser, SIT Nursing Educator, Stacey Porter, arranged the day for her Year 2 Bachelor of Nursing students, and has seen the event grow, after initiating it last year with ICC (Invercargill City Council) staff. “We used the same principles but brought it onsite to SIT; we were able to utilise some of the planning and resources from last time, so it was great not having to reinvent the wheel,” she said.
More than 70 students were divided into six groups with heart-themed names - Aortas, Ventricles, Atriums, Tricuspids, Bicuspids and Pulmonaries - to spend the day rotating through the four stations. “They all had a productive day,” said Stacey, pointing to the high-quality work produced in students’ creative Medication profiles - voted on by educators, feedback presented, and a prize given to the winning group.
Students utilising the Heart Foundation’s free online tool, My Heart Check, engaged participants in a 15-minute check of the basics, including blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking cessation. Blood sugar and blood glucose levels was an optional extra and were positively received as well.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the uptake,” Stacey said; they had exceeded the goal of 50 health checks with more than 70 participants, mainly SIT staff. She was also impressed at the wide range from across the campus who took up the offer, “Heads of School, café staff, Trades, HR, and more”. Stacey was most pleased with the uptake amongst males, and of all ages. “Males are at a higher risk [with heart health].” The New Zealand Heart Foundation states men generally develop heart disease at a younger age and have a higher risk of heart disease than women, so, “getting rid of that stigma around looking after your health is key” she added.
“It really surpassed my expectations, with the number and variety of individuals, aged 18 to 70+ and different ethnic backgrounds as well. They had the confidence to come along in the work environment.”
The My Heart Health tool doesn’t diagnose; it’s an assessment tool of relative risks, Stacey explained. “Students were able to take participants through some health education, giving them a tailored response with resources and advice.” It also encouraged some to take action, whether it was considering cutting down on smoking or getting in touch with their own health professional for further checks. “There were great conversations happening” around the pop-up clinic, with students drawing on their knowledge from 11 weeks of placements over the year, where they’ve been involved in a wide variety of primary and community care, such as schools, aged care, GP practices and district nursing.
Stacey explained the nature of nursing is being flexible, and students were trained to be adaptable to whatever circumstances they face. “The students handled the numbers and adjusted extremely well” to running an improvised clinic in a classroom. “It turned into a very efficient space, it just worked. The day went seamlessly. It was no problem to facilitate bigger numbers; it was all in the planning.”
Students gained opportunities to increase their knowledge, understanding and confidence in cardiac health, as well as consolidate learning from all the components of their year’s study and clinical training, by putting it into practice.
It was also to give students “a really strong segue into Year 3. Their cardiac knowledge needs to be strong,” Stacey said. Students received a cardiac workbook for the day which is a resource for them to use as they progress in their studies.
For the future, Stacey hopes to see the day become an annual event and include Enrolled Nursing students as well. “It has validity given the numbers. It’s a great way to involve SIT staff and students and give back to them.”