The month of August begins my adventure as a Children’s Wellness Clinic (CWC) intern! My externship starts later than many others that started in June and are now coming to an end. As I attend orientation this is what I observe:
July 29th
We arrived at the UT School of Nursing in our burnt orange scrubs to meet up with our fellow interns and preceptors. There are eight interns total, and most are fellow S2s, so there is a lot of camaraderie already, which boost my comfort level with the whole experience. On top of that, our preceptors are graduate students (and current nurses) from the UT School of Nursing, so they are extremely knowledgeable and easy to approach. After getting to know each other a bit, we jump right into learning the components of sports physicals, and the techniques to use when performing them, since this will be one of our many duties at CWC. We then talk about vaccines and their schedules, and go over some sample questions that we might be asked by patients and families regarding immunizations to ensure that we are prepared. On this day we also present on two vaccinations, including MMR, Varicella, Rotavirus, HPV, Influenza, Hib, Hepatitis A and B, Polio, Pneumococcal, Meningococcal, and DTap, since we will be administering vaccinations to children before the new school year. This assignment, along with the skills lab held to practice techniques is extremely helpful.
July 30th
Nervousness sets in as we prepare to prove our vaccination and sports physical skills to our preceptors. After finishing our vaccination presentations, we begin our tests one by one. The procedure is as follows: walk into the room, perform a sports physical (including a manual blood pressure), then proceed to the next station where you draw up a vaccination, ensure safety (check expiration date, allergies, verify name and date of birth), interact with your patient and family and facilitate a comfort hold between the parent and child, and safely/effectively administer the vaccination, remembering to discard your sharps into the sharps container. Once we pass our skills check off, we can sign up for our hours at the CWC.
July 31st
The CWC, which is located in Del Valle, serves a critical need in the community, by caring for a large low-income population. As an intern I’m so excited to perfect my vaccination techniques, master sports physicals, and continue making a difference in the Del Valle community as a UT student nurse!