Students received clinical rotation hours, as well as volunteer hours, for their service at the YMCA health event. In addition to helping children use the eye chart and checking for lice, students made it a fun day with agility challenges, music, and fun activities.
Over a dozen ACC Vocational Nursing (VN) students took part in the volunteer experience with the YMCA, an organization that has built a strong partnership with ACC over the past several years. Renee, along with VN Instructor Lynnette Udeh, organized the event as a way for students to demonstrate their knowledge, serve youth in the community, and learn about career path options beyond the hospital setting.
“We have a great relationship with the YMCA, and I’m so grateful we were able to partner to create these Healthy Kids Healthy Event days,” Guerrero said. “These are wonderful opportunities to show our students how they can be a nurse in work environments outside the hospital, like school districts, daycares, and community organizations—and that they have several options to use their nursing education in the field.”
Guerrero has years of deep experience working with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations and brought those relationships and dedication to supporting them to her role with ACC. She has plans underway for additional YMCA volunteering opportunities in the coming weeks and months.
“These Healthy Kids Day events with the YMCA not only get our students outside in a fun environment to work with children, but the number of kids they interact with is so much greater,” Guerrero said. “In a typical clinical setting, they may get to see 10-20 children, compared to the 50-75 children they meet at these events. You really see the impact of that unique experience.”
