Two faculty members and 15 nursing students provided STB training to more than 200 learners in 2019 alone . Over a period of three years , we have trained nearly 400 people at multiple sites throughout our community . Course participants include faculty , staff , and students on two ODU campuses as well as students , teachers , and nurses at local high schools in our area .
Two senior nursing students assumed the leadership role for this initiative and provided oversight and coordination of all STB activities . Teaching teams were developed and included both junior- and senior-year students . Juniors were intentionally recruited to allow for continuity of the project . Teaching teams practiced content delivery , provided a sample training session for nursing faculty , and incorporated feedback to improve course delivery .
The ultimate leadership and training venture occurred when the team was accepted to conduct STB courses for nursing students and faculty at the Virginia Nursing Students ’ Association ( VSNA ) annual conference . During the planning phase , team leaders recruited and trained SNA colleagues and identified who would participate as course leaders . That group then attended a STB training held by a Virginia Beach paramedic to witness the course delivered from a different perspective . In 10 class sessions offered during the one-day conference , 97 students and faculty from 12 nursing programs across the state received STB training and bleeding control kits .
Evaluation of Training The effectiveness of our training sessions was evaluated by asking participants at the VSNA conference to complete pretest and posttest training evaluation tools . Participant feedback was extremely positive . After the training session , students reported that they were more confident in their ability to recognize life-threatening bleeding and more knowledgeable in the appropriate ways to stop bleeding . On a scale of 0-100 , self-reported knowledge scores increased by 46 points from 45 to 91 and self-reported confidence scores increased by 36 points from 51 to 87 . Participants valued the hands-on training , citing that they were significantly more confident in their skills to be able to respond appropriately to a life-threatening bleeding emergency . Self-reported scores for ability to correctly use a tourniquet increased from 39 to 90 and for use of hemostatic gauze increased from 35 to 89 on the 100-point scale .
Feedback on the overall program presentation was positive as well . All 97 participants agreed or strongly agreed that the learning objectives were met , the content was presented clearly , and the training will be beneficial to them in their professional roles . Anecdotal comments highlighted the hands-on demonstrations and ample time for skills practice as the most valuable parts of the course . Having the knowledge , confidence , and supplies to intervene in an emergency prior to EMS arrival was noted to be the greatest impact of the training . As one student commended , “ I walked out feeling prepared to help someone in need .”
The overall impact to the ODU SNA has also been positive . STB training at multiple learning sites to various audiences , including pre-nursing students enrolled in our Health Sciences Learning Community , greatly increased the visibility and credibility of the ODU SNA which directly impacted our membership . Attendance at the annual VSNA conference was notably higher this year . Two ODU students were elected to leadership positions at the state level , and we are delighted that ODU has been selected to host the conference in the future .
Project Impact and Sustainability The ODU SNA ’ s STB initiative supports the 2018 NSNA resolution # 5 : Support of Expanding Nursing Student Certification in Bleeding Control through training programs . SNA leaders served as certified instructors and training program coordinators for multiple STB courses offered on campus and in the community . The project allowed us to distribute 200 STB kits at our school and across the state .
Furthermore , the STB initiative strengthened the leadership skills of the student co-coordinators as well as all the students who participated as trainers . The coordinators identified and contacted community organizations , scheduled courses , coordinated with the site and faculty trainers , and trained peers to deliver content . Upon course completion , the student leaders logged data from training rosters on the STB organization website and provided completion certificates to participants . The co-leaders worked with faculty to develop the pre- and post-tests and teaching evaluation forms , as well as to evaluate the data .
Student leaders also planned for program sustainability inside and outside of ODU . Junior students at ODU are poised to continue training updates during the next academic year and will recruit members in the incoming nursing class . SNA fundraisers can be designated for the purchase of STB kits for new participants . Each participant at the VSNA convention received an ODU-created STB “ How To ” flyer and supply list to enable them to conduct similar courses at their institutions .
36 NSNA IMPRINT n NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 n www . nsna . org