Day One Interprofessional Project
- Project Details:
- CECE Event: Integrated Care: Addressing Adolescent Substance Use/Mental Health – Zoom recording viewed on 09/23 (45 minutes)
- Meet and Greet Zoom Meeting – 09/27 (6:00-7:00 pm, 1 hour)
- Team Zoom Meeting – 10/07 (7:30-8:30 pm, 1 hour)
- Teem Meeting (Downtown Café) – 10/15 (10:00 am-12:00 pm, 2 hours)
- Team Zoom Meeting – 10/18 (5:00-6:00 pm, 1 hour)
- “Lightening Pitch” Zoom Meeting – 10/18 (6:00-7:00 pm, 1 hour)
- Priority Focus:
- I spent the past several months working with a group of three other students of varying backgrounds to help create a collaborative and learning activity for the residents of Day One Residential who are adolescents struggling with substance abuse. This was a very impactful experience for me as I there is a lot of substance abuse in my family and lost my father to substance issues four years ago. It was a great experience to be able to help those with substance abuse issues at a younger age and at a time when one small change could have such a drastic effect on the future.
- Social Determinants of Health:
- Two social determinants of health that pertain to this population include safe housing and economic stability. These adolescents struggling with substance abuse disorder are often homeless and, due to their age, do not have appropriate financial resources. Unfortunately, these social determinants tend to go hand in hand and advocating for these clients is therefore very important. Some ways in which a nurse could do this is by being aware of the safe residential spaces, such as Day One Residential, where the adolescent client can find food and a bed to sleep in. The nurse should provide the patient with the appropriate education regarding the negative effects of substance abuse and offer programs that emphasize abstinence. Additionally, the patient should be encouraged to seek out positive relationships with friends or family. I can see how advocating for this population would be difficult as there are very little resources for this age group, and they can be very reluctant to seek sobriety. Facilities like Day One Residential should be more prevalent, especially in urban areas, to provide more help and advocacy for this young and susceptible population.
- Interprofessional Collaboration:
- This experience has helped me further develop my collaborate practice skills as I worked alongside three other students with different professional backgrounds. Working with adolescents with substance abuse disorders require that all members of the health care team coordinate appropriately to provide client-centered care and advocate for individualized quality care. This population likely has many biological, social, and psychological influences which require the intervention of several different health care professionals such as nurses, therapists, nutritionists, social workers, etc. However, in order to provide the patient with the best care possible, all of the members of the healthcare team need to share the same objectives for the patient outcome and communicate these goals effectively. Working in this manner will help facilitate positive outcomes for the patient.
CECE Event: Restraints and Seclusion in Maine Schools: We Can do Better
- Event Details:
- CECE Event: Restraints and Seclusion in Maine Schools: We Can do Better – Zoom recording viewed on 11/15 (6:00-7:30 pm, 1 hour 30 minutes)
- Priority Focus:
- This UNE CECE event Restraints and Seclusion in Maine Schools: We Can do Better focused on the use of restraints and seclusion in Maine schools on children of ages 3 to 20. This event interested me because I was very unaware of the use restraints and seclusions in schools. It was even more surprising to discover that Maine ranks #1 in the use of restraints and #2 in the use of seclusion nationally. The panel discussion was very insightful as it evaluated a plethora of alternatives to utilizing restraints and seclusion in school aged children, all of which seemed very applicable and relevant.
- Social Determinants of Health:
- Violence and education are two major social determinants of health that pertain to the use of restraints and seclusion in school aged children in Maine. Although the use of this type of behavior modification is used to help inhibit violence and promote a better education experience for all students, it can certainly do the opposite. Restraints and seclusion are only used in emergency situations, however identifying the trigger behaviors that lead to the use of these early on can help prevent the need for such measures. Many schools have what is known as PBS, or positive behavioral supports, which is an approach that helps children behave appropriately. However, not all schools utilize this in the curriculum, and this is something that should be strongly advocated to help diminish the need for measures such as restraints and seclusion. Additionally, assessing for underlying issues to the child’s behavior may help alleviate these drastic behavior modification measures. Perhaps the student does not have access to proactive supports, maybe the student has a disability that gets in the way of his or her learning, or perhaps there has been some sort of life altering event in the child’s life. Looking “upstream” and addressing the root of the behavior, as oftentimes there is one, can be very beneficial because it can help provide more appropriate interventions for the student.
- Interprofessional Collaboration:
- Interprofessional communication by communicating with one another in a therapeutic manner can help care for this population of school aged children. The topic and use of restraints and seclusions can be very controversial and deciphering when it is appropriate to use is not quite well-defined. Therefore, effective communication between all members of the healthcare and educational community can help determine the best use of this behavioral modification technique and assess the necessity of it. Additionally, this communication can help determine other options that are more individualized to the student to provide the most appropriate intervention and therefore facilitate positive outcomes for the students affected.
