Fire Department Open House

Working in the Shaker Heights Health Department has been an amazing experience. I have been able to help with everything from flu vaccine clinics to blood pressure screenings. One of the biggest events I was able to help put together this semester was the flu clinic at the Fire Department open house. My preceptor said once, "you can sit in your office all day, but you can't be a public health nurse unless you go to the people". The open house gave us that opportunity. The Fire Department put on an open house for fire safety and the like, and the health department set up shop giving out vaccines. The prep we had for this was crazy. We ensured it emulated the disaster response in case there was a pandemic flu, therefore it acted as an emergency preparedness drill. In the end, it was a lot of fun and we were able to vaccinate almost 100 parents and children. It also gave me a view into the life of a public health nurse rather quickly.