They do not have a health office or nurse. The programs the nursing students present are extremely helpful to this community. At the end of the day, students once again climb into the van, ready to head home. The hour-long trip back to Tucson gives them an opportunity to hash over the events of the day, highlighting what they've learned and setting their goals for the next trip in the week ahead. The clients on the home visits have a different interaction with the students than they do with more experienced health care professionals.
Clients seem to sympathize with the students, with their unfamiliarity with the community.
They recognize that they are not experts, but that they are there to learn and help clients solve their problems. Many of the clients are the same age as the students, McEwen adds. They can see what the students have done with their lives and can use this as a positive role model to help decide how they can change their own lives. Improve the quality of training. Increase the number and types of students in the program.