NR 717 CCN Population Health Learnings Discussion

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Week eight reflection

Week one was an enlightening week. My chosen population was Martin County, Kentucky. I had known there were health problems related to the shuttering of the coal mines in the community. Still, I was unaware of how drastically it had affected the residents, especially regarding the increase in obesity within the community. The culturagram helped me organize statistics and isolated essential factors regarding the residents and their struggles. The week has also introduced me to the case study by Engle (2021) and the Grow Appalachia project. I appreciated the network of support extended to the community organizations that facilitated the residents with farming start-up assistance (Engle, 2021).

Week two was more stressful for me than I thought it would be. I have always listened to discussions about descriptive and analytic epidemiology but have yet to research or write about it. I found the task overwhelming at first. I am increasing my knowledge about citing in the 7th edition American Psychology Association (APA) format. In previous classes, I spent much time locating formal research articles because, in my mind, they were easier to cite. I have had to mention many other sources during this class, which has built my confidence in the APA format.

In week three, I used the Knowledge-to-Action (KTA) translation science theory to frame my intervention for Martin County, Kentucky residents. The KTA theory can be applied to a nursing practice problem to produce best practice guidelines. The model involves knowledge creation and moving that knowledge into action (Stasiulis et al., 2023). I have never been exposed to the Minnesota Public Health Wheel and found it helpful in identifying population health interventions.

Week four was the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Course training. It was a very enlightening course. As a registered nurse, I have never had any field training. I had never thought about how organized the FEMA workers had to be. It was a great introduction to emergency planning.

In week five, I wrote the population health paper. I have never taken a class about population health or worked with population health in my job. I have learned that many resources are available to this country’s residents. It is just a matter of navigating the system to find available resources. Healthy People 2030 was fascinating to learn about. I was unaware of the depth and organization of goal setting and objectives for our country’s long-term health objectives (Healthy People 2030, 2020).

Week six was the beginning of our health policy section. This was difficult because I am not used to appraising healthcare policy. It required me to think about my practice problem from different angles. It also needed me to consider the disadvantages of passing such an outstanding bill. Identifying the negative about something I strongly believe in was difficult. Using the eight steps to policy analysis broke down the assignment and made it more workable.

Week seven was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I did not realize how accessible writing to elected officials would be. I am very excited about the potential for the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) to be passed into law. I have learned it is important politically to start at your local level to help enact change on a larger scale.  

I have enjoyed this class. I appreciate how open everyone is with their experiences. I have learned a lot. I often feel as though I am in a bubble in my job. There is no one to bounce ideas off of. I appreciate the diversity of thought in this class. I can see other points of view through theory and practical application. I also welcome different ideas from around the country from various practice settings.

References

Engle, E.W. (2021). Brokering rural community food security: An organizational network case study in central Appalachia. Rural Sociology, 86(4), 837–863. https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12388Links to an external site.

Healthy People 2030. (2020). Reduce the proportion of adults with obesity-NWS-03. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objective-and-data/browse-objectives/overweight-and-obesity/reduce-propertion-adults-obesity-nws-03Links to an external site.

Stasiulis, E., Naglie, G., Sanford, S., Belchior, P., Crizzle, A., Gélinas, I., Mazur, B., Moorhouse, P., Myers, A., Porter, M., Vrkljan, B., & Rapoport, M. (2023). Developing the driving and dementia roadmap: A knowledge-to-action process. International Psychogeriatrics, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610222001235Links to an external site.

Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, 118th Congress, 1st session. (2023). https://www.carper.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/TROA-Bill.pdfLinks to an external site.