What began five years ago as an innovative clinical makeup opportunity for undergraduate nursing students has evolved into a highly successful community partnership that promotes health and wellness for employees while developing the next generation of nurse leaders.
Under the leadership of Janice F. Hernandez, Director of the Leadership in Diverse Settings (LeaDS) MSN Program at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, and with the support of Lisa K. Morris, Director of the FNP program and LeaDS faculty member, the Annual Austin Telco Employee Wellness and Vaccine Clinic has become a model for academic-community collaboration focused on health promotion, disease prevention, leadership development, and workforce wellness. Through a strong and enduring partnership with Austin Telco Federal Credit Union, the clinic provides valuable preventive health services to employees while creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate nursing students.
Through this partnership, employees have convenient access to health promotion and disease prevention services during the workday, helping them identify potential health concerns and connect with appropriate resources.
Esthefany Rivera admitted she was a bit hesitant when delivering flu shots for the first time to employees of Austin Telco Federal Credit Union on October 28. “I was a little bit nervous,” said the senior from Rio Grand Valley. “But there was an instructor to help me.”
Rivera and her fellow seniors – Jessica Martinez and Nyla McCullum – helped distribute flu shots to the nearly 100 ATFCU employees who showed up to the 5th Annual Clinic held in North Austin.
The clinic provides a range of services, including blood pressure screenings, blood sugar testing, men’s and women’s health care, and mental health care, as well as giving employees a lot of health care-related information.
Debbie Campos, who works in human resources for ATFCU, said the fair provides a great opportunity for employees to get screened when they might not take the time otherwise to do so.
“We’re really excited about it,” she said.
It’s an equally exciting opportunity for School of Nursing students to practice their skills on actual patients, said Janice F. Hernandez.
“I really feel strongly that administering vaccines and education is a much better clinical experience than a written or simulated makeup," said Adam Blank, a School of Nursing Clinical Instructor who helps Hernandez identify undergraduate students needing makeup hours. However, the event has evolved far beyond clinical makeup experience.
Today, it serves as a leadership and community engagement project that allows graduate students in the LeaDS MSN Program to apply leadership concepts learned throughout their coursework in a real-world setting.
Hernandez, who started the event, said LeaDS graduate students taking part in the Employee education on health promotion and disease prevention health fair are completing hours for their LeaDS Capstone project. Students develop essential leadership competencies including project management, communication, collaboration, team coordination, program planning, quality improvement, and evaluation skills that prepare them to lead healthcare organizations, departments, community programs, and interdisciplinary teams.
“I’m getting my Masters in leadership in diverse settings,” said Maggie Harold of Corpus Christi. “The program opens a lot of opportunities. My mom has the same Masters degree, and I’m following her career path as a leader.”
Mary Kempner of Houston, who worked the women’s health table with Harold, agreed that LeaDS provides a valuable experience.
“The degree really opens doors in education and leadership,” she said. “You learn how to run quality improvement projects. I hope to work in a lot of different areas of nursing.”
These experiences exemplify one of the primary goals of the LeaDS Program: preparing nurses to become effective leaders who can identify community needs, develop innovative solutions, build partnerships, and improve health outcomes.
The impact of the clinic can be seen not only in student development but also in employee health outcomes.
One employee, Ken Koenig, recognized the importance of preventative screenings after participating in the event. "They gave me a paper to log my pressure over a couple of weeks," he said. "I did know I had high blood pressure, but it's never been that high. Now I've got to go check it out."
Stories such as Koenig's demonstrate how early screening and education can encourage employees to seek follow-up care before conditions worsen.
Hernandez emphasized that an important component of the clinic is ensuring employees understand available healthcare resources. "Our students can make recommendations to employees and help connect them with the best resources for any concerns identified during screenings."
Hernandez said her students can make recommendations to the ATFCU employees and tell them where the best resources are to get help with any issues they uncover.
Ashley Thomas, a master's student from Houston, worked at the mental health table with Leah Harshaw. Thomas said people are upfront about what they need.
“They mainly ask for resources – where to get help,” she said.
For many employees, the convenience of receiving services at work is a major benefit. Pamela Cotton, who has worked at ATFCU for nearly four decades, shared that the clinic encouraged her to receive a flu vaccine for the first time.
"It's very convenient," she said. "It's important to have these screenings at any age. For some people, it's the only health screening they are getting. It's been a great resource, and it also helps the students. They give you the kind of information you need if you're not seeing a doctor."
Over the past five years, the Annual Austin Telco Employee Wellness and Vaccine Clinic has become a model of a successful academic-community partnership, bringing together The University of Texas at Austin Family Wellness Clinic, School of Nursing and Austin Telco Federal Credit Union to advance employee wellness, preventive healthcare, and experiential learning for nursing students.
According to Courtney Kaleta and Ana Loera of the UT Austin Family Wellness Clinic, who both coordinate the preparation of vaccines and equipment for the event each year, the clinic has become a meaningful tradition for both employees and the healthcare teams who support it.
“We look forward to rejoining colleagues each year to serve familiar faces and continue our flu vaccine tradition. Here’s to another positive year, with the hope of seeing everyone again next flu season.”