Sun Safety and Protection
Authors: Peyton Waters, Michelle Smith, Kim Hanley, Sabrina Webster, and Chelsea Jones
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Lydia Watkins and Dr. Sarah Hartman
Abstract:
As a nursing student at the College of Coastal Georgia, a part of our pediatrics class included a service-learning project that required us to identify patient needs in the community. After conducting a detailed literature review we decided to implement a teaching project on sun safety, given our proximity to the beach on Saint Simons Island, Georgia, using current research findings and evidence-based nursing practice. We partnered with Saint Simons Elementary to address the needs of the students and presented important sun safety facts in creative ways. We created a tri-fold poster to educate the children about the best ways to protect themselves in the sun and hot temperatures. We also developed a brochure for children to take home to their parents to ensure that the information would be passed along. To evaluate the children’s understanding and reinforce the sun safety facts, we played a quiz-like game at the end of our session and were pleased to see the retention of knowledge. As rewards for participation, we gave the students chap-stick with SPF 30 and sun exposure wrist bands that serve as a reminder to reapply sunscreen. By engaging in the school-age children’s learning, we felt that we accomplished the learning outcomes that were required, but also contributed to the betterment of the community. Throughout this project, the nursing students collaborated with the School of Education teacher candidate students as a grant was written, received, current age-appropriate books related to the education topic were identified, purchased, and given to the schools, and bulletin boards were developed to further the teaching of this topic in the school.
