NMCC students to take annual health fair out to community

    PRESQUE ISLE – Northern Maine Community College nursing students are taking their annual health fair out into the community this fall and plan to present the event in conjunction with the Fall and Winter Expo planned for The Forum in Presque Isle Sept. 27-28.     Accordingly, the 43 students enrolled in the third semester of the associate degree nursing program are preparing educational displays relevant to the theme of the show to be displayed on Saturday, Sept. 27 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
    Eleven different health education topics are being prepared by the students for the event, which include frostbite prevention and treatment, stress management and coping strategies, hypothermia prevention and treatment, common winter illnesses, benefits of activity, seasonal affective disorder, winters sports safety, and energy, nutrition and exercise. There will also be information on substance abuse, fall and winter driving precautions, ergonomics and back safety.
    The health fair was added to the nursing curriculum to provide the senior students with an opportunity to plan and present a structured teaching project in a public health format. According to members of the nursing faculty, the opportunity to partner with the Fall and Winter Expo, coordinated by the NMCC Foundation and WAGM-TV, is ideal in meeting that objective.
    “We are excited about the opportunity for our students to reach a variety of people from the community with health information related to winter activities. There will be something of interest in the displays for people of all ages,” said Eileen McDougal, nursing instructor and one of the lead coordinators of the health fair.
    Topics were selected collaboratively by NMCC nursing faculty members and the students with a concentration on issues related to the fall and winter seasons. Once a comprehensive list was developed, students signed up to work on specific projects according to their interest, with three or four students working in each area. Following the topic selection, each team is responsible for developing objectives and an outline of the information they plan to present. They then access the resources necessary to present their topic.
    Each student-researched topic will be presented at an individual booth staffed by the group working on the specific project.
    In addition to the 32 students participating in the health fair project who attend courses on the Presque Isle campus, 11 second-year students enrolled in NMCC’s nursing program who are taking classes through Washington County Community College in Calais will present their findings. The students, who live in Washington County, will be traveling north to Presque Isle to participate in the Expo.
    “It is our intent that the senior nursing students develop their ability to deliver health education in a public setting while also benefiting attendees of the show by providing information that can enhance their health during the fall and winter seasons,” said McDougal. “What a great venue to achieve both objectives.”
    As an additional benefit for the students working on preparing the exhibits, The Aroostook Medical Center will provide a scholarship award for the group of students presenting the top exhibit. NMCC nursing faculty and a representative from TAMC will judge and present the award at the Expo Saturday afternoon.
    The NMCC Health Fair follows the first semester when students learn the concepts of teaching/learning in the public health context, and the second semester when students are required to present a clinically-based topic to their peers. In their final semester, students participate in the Fort Fairfield Middle School health fair.
    Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the NMCC Health Fair Saturday, Sept. 27 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. during the Fall and Winter Expo at The Forum in Presque Isle. For more information on the event, contact the NMCC Foundation at 760-1188.