Prince George Health Services’ 2020 Hand Hygiene Campaign was given some help from 28 CNC Health Care Assitant (HCA) students.
The campaign looked to increase awareness of the importance of proper handwashing among staff, physicians, patients, and families at long-term care facilities.
Between March 3rd and April 16, the students provided 215 hand hygiene in-services at long-term care facilities.
The hand hygiene in-services involved resident interaction, with HCA instructor Jocelyn Bergeron specifically mentioning the importance of working alongside residents with dementia.
“Being a part of this campaign was a fun and exciting way for students to work on their communication skills and build self-confidence,” said Bergeron.
Bergeron offered students the opportunity to participate in the PG Hand Hygiene Campaign as a replacement for an upcoming research paper.
“It wasn’t mandatory,” she explained, adding: “students could still write the research paper if they preferred. But every single student chose to participate, including seven in Mackenzie.”
“When the students were providing this education, they were using active learning. It helped them promote recall and a deeper understanding of the material because they were engaging with the content directly.”
Bergeron said student feedback was overall very positive, and she hopes future groups of HCA students will participate in the PG Hand Hygiene Campaign.
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