UC Davis nursing students bring health lessons to life

Final-year nursing students from the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis recently took their classroom lessons into the real world by hosting a health education fair for youth in Nevada County. The event, “Strong Minds, Strong Bodies,” was a collaboration with Bright Future for Youth, a local organization that serves one in 12 kids in the county through after-school programs and camps.

Presented just before the teens' middle and high school year begins, the fair featured six interactive stations. Youth in grades 7 to 12 learned how to administer naloxone (Narcan) in an opioid overdose, identify signs of heat stroke, stay safe online and build mental strength, among other vital lessons.

“I learned a lot about some topics that will help me when I go back to school,” said Lilah a rising 7th grader. “Like how to be safer on the internet, more about eating healthy and how to help my friends if they get hurt.”

Learning by teaching

Nursing students created and led each activity using evidence-based information and their materials to make them fun and age-appropriate for the young audience.

Lilah said her favorite part was the game they played about ”Truth or Trash,” where the future nurses offered tips on internet safety.

For nursing students, this wasn’t just a chance to teach, it was a powerful learning experience in itself.

“Education is vital to improving health outcomes in local youth,” said Aesara Rhys, a Master’s Entry Program in Nursing student from Sacramento. “I see myself and my children in these kids. They represent a clean slate with so much potential.”

Classroom to community

Cindy Wilson, the instructor for the community health course, was proud to see nursing students apply research in such a meaningful way.

“Our students didn’t just learn the facts. They figured out how to make those facts matter in a real-world setting. It’s where nursing knowledge meets human connection,” Wilson said.

And for Bright Futures for Youth, the event couldn’t have come at a better time — shortly before teens go back to school.

“These lessons stick because they’re fun, they’re clear and they’re being delivered by future nurses who truly care,” said Dena Malakian, the organization’s associate director.

“This experience helped me learn how to teach different age groups and be more flexible in my approach,” Rhys said. “I hope they leave here with coping skills and knowledge that helps keep them and their friends safe.”