Nursing at Cincinnati Children's

The Adopt a Class program was designed for urban school children in need of our help and support.  Adopt a Class facilitates personal sustained connections between the business community and students in pre-kindergarten to 8th grade. The purpose of Adopt a Class is to provide positive role models to enhance the development of practical and social skills for the students. This, in turn, builds a culture of philanthropy and teamwork for the nurses and support staff. During the course of the school year, the staff of A6N works with the students through tutoring that focuses on their reading and writing skills, exchanging pen-pal letters, providing mentorship, and hosting a class party each winter and spring. 2011 survey results showed that 96% of teachers report that Adopt a Class has a positive impact on the students’ social skills.

Most children with a debilitating disease or chronic illnessmay never experience the thrill of meeting new friends, hiking new territories, or just being on their own in the common world of summer camp. At Cincinnati Children’s, children with a variety of conditions from life-threatening to profoundly challenging, have the opportunity to have this experience. Since 2001, more than 600 children have attended camps organized by Cincinnati Children’s direct-care nurses and APNs. These camps are either offered free or at a significantly reduced cost. There are camps for children with sickle cell disease, bleeding disorders, cancer, congenital or acquired heart disease, and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Round the clock medical care and fully staffed clinics are available at each camp. These campers do all the same things everyone does at camp; they sing songs, make crafts, play games, and may even try the ropes courses.

Sometimes away from home for the first time, these children learn self-management techniques that they will use in their everyday care when they return to their home setting. Parents often note the positive impact being with peers who have mastered some aspect of care has on their own child, noting the experience gives their son or daughter the courage to take the next step in managing their own care while making new friends.  

Thanks to generous support from donors this camp experience is free to children and their families.

CPR Classes

Cincinnati Children's offers CPR classes that teach easy-to-learn emergency procedures to deal with breathing and cardiac emergencies in adults, infants and children. Procedures include rescue breathing, CPR and Heimlich maneuver. Click her for more information

Creating effective communication strategies for our patients and families is important.  We need to do our part to promote the importance of making health information understandable. The roadmap for spreading the word about health literacy has been diverse, targeting different audiences, both internal and external to our organization. Through the implementation of lectures, workshops, recognition awards and annual health literacy events, direct-care clinicians and families have begun to recognize the importance of plain language as a tool for effective communication. October is National Health Literacy Month and is a perfect time to expose the organization to the concept of health literacy. In 2010, a separate event was developed for patients and families. Using games designed for the children, parents are able to learn about health literacy in a fun and relaxed environment. Since its’ inception, over 150 families have participated in this event.

Nurses at Cincinnati Children’s are involved in community outreach programs that go beyond local communities and our borders to improve the quality of child health around the world. Research nurses are often involved in providing education and training to medical workers in foreign countries, fostering communication and collaboration with local governments and hospitals. Recent mission trips have provided essential medical care to 1000-2000 recipients per trip.

 Here are a few countries where our nurses expanded their reach to improve the healthcare of those children in need:

• Cambodia
• Ghana
• Haiti
• Kuwait
• Nicaragua
• South Africa
• Tanzania

 Learn more about these Mission Trips click here

Each year, education consultants from the Children’s Center for Professional Excellence (CPE)/Education partner with local school nurse educators to hold an education event for school nurses and other health professionals in the Greater Cincinnati area. Ruthanne Werner, MSN, RN-BC, Education Consultant, CPE/Education has represented Children’s on the workshop planning team for the past ten years. With a rich history in providing education to Tristate school health professionals, Cincinnati Children’s held its 26^th Annual School Health Workshop in 2012. This event consistently occurs the first Friday in November at Xavier University’s Cintas Center and serves approximately 125 community healthcare professionals. 

A great example of nurses making a difference in the lives of children in the community is demonstrated by our Safe Sitter program. The Safe Sitter program is a medically oriented instructional series that teaches local youngsters how to handle emergencies when caring for children. The cost for the class is $30. The goal of the Safe Sitter program is to better prepare adolescents for babysitting, thereby reducing the number of accidental and preventable deaths of children in the care of a babysitter. 

The full-day course is for children 11 to 13 year of age who reside in - Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. All health care information is taught by certified professionals. Students get hands-on guidance and practice in basic lifesaving techniques to prepare them to act in a crisis situation. Safe Sitter participants also receive helpful tips to make them more confident caregivers. They learn safety and security precautions, such as what to do if a stranger comes to the door and when and how to call for help. They receive information on child development and age-appropriate activities and also learn about the business aspects of babysitting. 

To become a certified Safe Sitter, the youngsters have to pass a rigorous practical and written test to demonstrate that they have mastered the key concepts and skills necessary to handle an emergency situation. See the schedule for 2013 dates