February 17, 2021COVID-19public health sciencesCollege of Health ProfessionscommunityApplied Learning

Wichita State health science students add to experiences during pandemic

By Paul Suellentrop

  • Wichita State public health sciences students volunteered to help with COVID-19 testing last fall.
  • The students took advantage of an applied learning opportunity to gain experience working with the public, answering questions and explaining the process.
  • The students worked at the Student Wellness Center and completed 160 hours of volunteer work.

In fall 2020, 黑洞社区 public health sciences students stepped up to help the Student Wellness Center with COVID-19 testing in an effort to ease some of the uncertainty caused by the virus.

Most volunteer students are considering a career in health care and jumped at the applied learning opportunity.

鈥淚t gave me a different perspective on public health,鈥� said Sarah Buie, a sophomore in health sciences, health management and psychology. 鈥淚 got to talk to a lot of people and make sure they understood what was going on. It bolstered my communication skills, because I had to learn to talk to and explain to so many different types of people.鈥�

Buie was one of 18 students from the Department of Public Health Sciences who volunteered in Student Health Services to help with the COVID-19 asymptomatic testing program.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have good people skills in health care, you鈥檙e not going to go very far,鈥� said Sheryl McKelvey, office manager for Student Health Services. 鈥淚t was so good to work with students who were really motivated to do this.鈥�

It gave me a different perspective on public health. It bolstered my communication skills, because I had to learn to talk to and explain to so many different types of people.
Sarah Buie, sophomore,
Department of Public Health Sciences

The students completed 160 hours of volunteer work by handing out information packets and test kits and explaining the saliva test. When people returned the test, after completing it outside the building, the students took receipt of the tests, which were processed off-site.

鈥淚t was interesting to be on this side of a health institution during a pandemic,鈥� said Funto Adubi, a December 2020 health science graduate. 鈥淭his was my first time working in something involving health and having to relate to other people. I was able to give people the test and explain stuff. People that had questions, I was able to answer questions.鈥�

Students in the Department of Public Health Sciences complete a professionalism portfolio that includes scholarship, volunteerism, service learning, professionalism and inter-professionalism activities.

鈥淲e immediately saw this as an opportunity for applied student engagement,鈥� said Dr. Amy Drassen Ham, clinical professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences. 鈥淲e find it more and more critical that we prepare our students for working in real health-care settings, by putting them in team-based learning experiences that, in effect, allow them to improve things like communication and engage in problem-solving skills.鈥�

She said that the department wants to move students out of their learning silos and give them opportunities to learn about, from and with professionals.

鈥淭hat helps prepare them for their careers that require lots of adaptation in this rapidly changing field,鈥� Drassen Ham said.

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