Local children recently learned the “bear necessities” of medical care at a recent Fuzzy Friends Clinic, staffed by Mount Nursing students and held at the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum in Poughkeepsie.
Spearheaded by Linda Kelly, assistant professor of Nursing, the clinic featured the students demonstrating how doctors and nurses use stethoscopes, bandages, blood pressure cuffs, and more to keep patients happy and healthy.
The patients, in this case, were the children’s very own stuffed animals.
“Sometimes children get scared at a doctor’s office when they see the stethoscope or other unfamiliar equipment, so this allows them to get comfortable with healthcare and nursing professionals,” noted Kelly.
The Mount has hosted several Fuzzy Friends Clinics throughout Orange County and beyond, including on the college’s campus.
The project was tied to the college’s Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) grant. The Mount’s School of Nursing was recently awarded the $1.6 million, three-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NWD program focuses on the recruitment, support, retention, and graduation of nursing students from underrepresented groups. It increases nursing education opportunities and assists students from disadvantaged backgrounds to become baccalaureate-prepared nurses.
The Mount’s service-focused approach to education goes hand-in-hand with helping professions like Nursing, Kelly noted. Mount Nursing students enjoy state-of-the-art simulation labs and clinical relationships with dozens of area hospitals. The Mount’s passionate faculty are dedicated to the success of both their undergraduate and graduate students.