WT nursing students live in someone else's shoes at poverty simulation event
Nursing students got a look into what their future patients may be going through, by participating in a recent hands-on Living in Poverty experience.
On Wednesday, Nov. 16, senior nursing students at West Texas A&M University (WT), along with 10 pre-med students from Midland College, had to learn to work with what they were given. As students filled the room at the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center, 720 S. Tyler St., they picked a name card at random and ended up in their “family” for the morning long event. Each week was made of a 15-minute period for families to get the necessities they needed. Regrouping took place on their five-minute weekend.
“This is to help the students better understand how poverty impacts everybody that lives in this situation, and in health care. Health care tends to be lower on the hierarchy list when it’s more about food, clothing, and shelter. We have a significant number of people living in low-income or in poverty situations,” said Laura Reyher, WT nursing instructor. “Sometimes the perception is that people living in low-income are lazy or not trying, but the reality is it could happen to any of us, and we need to be more in tune with it.”
The bell would ring, and students would rush out to get jobs, cash checks, get childcare, go to school, and even bargain their goods at the pawn shop to make ends meet.
In addition to WT nursing faculty members, employees from Heal the City and Nurse Family Partnership helped run the simulation.
Rick Reyher, retired educator for at-risk kids, incarcerated youth, and participant in the simulation at Dave’s Pawn Shop, said: “This simulation will take away their control. It will help make these students aware that it won't matter how smart you are, but what happens in life and the things that are in our control and other things that are not, such as health issues and getting fired. As their weeks go on, you can see the students getting frustrated because I’m giving them half of what their stereo is worth at this pawn shop."
As the weeks went by, chairs began to flip, signaling that the families were evicted, the jail was full of people, checks were constantly cashed, and the anxiety levels were elevated.
Established in 1972 and graduating its first students in 1974, WT’s Department of Nursing in its College of Nursing and Health Sciences provides about 70 percent of nurses employed throughout the Texas Panhandle, a news release said. According to reports, WT nursing graduates, over the past five years, have averaged a 97 percent score on the National Council Licensure Examination, required by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to test the competency of nursing school graduates in the United States and Canada. Nationally, the average is 85 percent; in Texas, it’s 87 percent.
Anthony Olmos, a senior nursing student playing Josh Jacoby, a 1-year-old said, “This applies a lot to our Panhandle area because some of our patients need the help and do not know where to go. This simulation applies to real life situations like it was built to be. It keeps us learning and on our toes. This simulation gives us a better understanding of who we are going to serve.”
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WT nursing students live in someone else's shoes
