Nursing IP

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The Nursing IP is an interest project from the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana Council.

# Skill Builders

1. 1. 1. Learn about the history of nursing. Share what you learned with your troop or other group.
		2. Learn three places on the body where a pulse can be taken and practice on a friend.
		3. Interview a patient who has received nursing care. What is the patient’s perception of a nurse? What did the nurse do for them to help him/her?
		4. Take a cardiopulmonary resuscitation and/or a first aid class. Contact your local American Heart Association or Red Cross for more information.
		5. Learn about proper hand-washing technique. Why is it important to properly wash your hands when working in a health care facility?
		6. Investigate a health topic of concern to teens, such as obesity, drug abuse, smoking, stress, or depression. Make a poster and see if you can display it at a health clinic, school, teen club, or place of worship.

# Technology

1. 1. 1. Go to http://www.discovernursing.com, http://www.nsna.org or http://www.nursing2000inc.org. Share what you learned with your troop.
		2. Learn about equipment and supplies used by nurses. Nurses use lots of different equipment and supplies in caring for patients. Get a nurse to tell you about this equipment, how it works, and when it’s used. If possible, practice with some of the equipment.
		3. Use the Internet and a computer to create a brochure or flyer about a disease or illness such as asthma, stroke, or teen depression. Include where to find additional information or learn more about that condition, and where the individual or family members can get support from others.

# Service Projects

1. 1. 1. Volunteer to work with a nurse at a health fair or a health career fair, either taking blood pressures or doing health teaching, or volunteer at the “Nursing Celebration Saturday Career Fair” through Nursing 2000.
		2. After you have taken a cardiopulmonary resuscitation and a first aid class, assist in teaching younger scouts about first aid.
		3. Do a project for a health care facility. Contact a doctor’s office, clinic, hospital, or a retirement home to find out what project might be done to meet a need in that facility. Examples might be collecting magazines for offices or residents, donating books or toys for donation to a pediatric unit, decorating a nursing home unit for a holiday event, etc.
		4. Participate in a community health project such as a cancer walk, ”Spotlight on Nursing” walk, blood drive, or high blood pressure screening. Find ways to participate, other than raising money. Help with registration, hand out incentives, offer water and encouragement, etc. How did this project help the community? What did you learn about the illness?

# Career Exploration

1. 1. 1. Interview a nurse or a nursing student and find out what the educational requirements are for becoming a nurse. What practical experience is helpful in preparing a person to become a nurse? Tour a local nursing school.
		2. Visit a hospital, clinic, or other area where nurses work. Observe what nurses do, who they work with, what equipment they use, and how they interact with people. Describe a nurse’s role in a specialty area. Write a summary of what you observed and learned.
		3. Find out what makes nursing unique. Compare and contrast nursing with other health professions.
		4. Interview a nursing leader. What leadership skills does he or she need for the job? What career path did he or she take to get to the current job?

# See also

Discover Careers in Medicine IP
Discovering Nursing IP
Nursing, Discover IP
Nursing Exploration IP
Nursing: Many Faces, Many Choices IP
List of Council's Own Interest Projects

# External Links

Girl Scouts 11-17 Council's Own Interest Project Awards
Nursing IP