Running head: SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT

Service Learning Project

Charito Ward
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
Vulnerable Populations and Global Health
NUR 4215
Ms. Daniels
January 30, 2016
I Pledge.

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Service Learning Project

Self Assessment
I have decided to do my community service working with the Roc Solid Foundation, this
charity works locally in Hampton Roads doing projects for children who have been diagnosed
with cancer, by helping that child and their families deal with the stressors of the disease. I have
never worked with any cancer patient; nor have I been exposed to many people who have a loved
one diagnosed with cancer, let alone a child with cancer. Volunteering to work with the Roc
Solid Foundation I am going to take myself out of my comfort zone to help a family or families
and that child take their mind off of the stress of their diagnosis.
The stereotypes I have had about the population I am going to be working with is that the
parents are always under a great deal of stress for obvious reasons. I think that the parents may
have some financial hardships due to missing time from work, and continuous medical bills. The
one thing I have always thought is that once a child is cured from cancer that they dont need to
worry about having cancer again for a long time, in reality children with cancer that has been
cured have to be constantly monitored to make sure that they do not get another cancer or illness
from the first diagnosis from cancer. The only bias I may have doing this project is that I am a
mother, and to see these children being inflicted with cancer is heartbreaking.
The information that I need to better address their needs is to know what they want from
me for whatever I will be volunteering for. I asked to be considered to help with the build team,
and the Family team, I am unsure which one they want me to do yet, the other way I can get
information is to ask my friends, I have a few friends who know someone whos child has been
diagnosed with cancer, I can ask them what the parents want from me and what the child needs

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from me. I can find the information on the website therocfoundation.org but detailed information
I will get once someone calls me back.
Concepts of Servant Leadership and Professionalism
My definition of servant-leadership means to first serve others, then myself. I want to
make sure that the people I take care of and the people I am leading are good first, then I will
focus on what I need. Greenleaf stated that there has to be a need in the person first to serve,
including the needs of our colleges, customers, and community (Keith, 2016). What I have
learned since starting back at school is that there are two types of leaders, the servant leader and
the leader first. I think that I have always had the desire in my heart to serve, to make sure others
are taken care of and happy, and in turn their success and wellbeing makes me happy. I plan on
using skills that are naturally used for being a servant leader such as listening to the people I will
be working with for my project, really sit there and hear what they have to say so that I can
incorporate what they desire in what I can do for them.
Professionalism is a state of mind, for me this means acting in a manor that my coworkers, patients, and leaders will respect. A nurse should have a good attitude towards their
patients and co-workers, integrity, good interpersonal relationships, and should treat all patients
equally (Williams, n.d.). I hope to apply my professionalism when I am doing this project by
building trust with the people I am working with and growing interpersonal relationships with
other volunteers, the families we are helping. I am going to apply my integrity by being open and
honest with the families, at the same time keeping their privacy, if there is a situation where I am
working with more than one family, I will treat all of them the same no matter their color,
religion, financial status, or situation; everyone deserves the best care that we can give to them
no matter what.

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Barriers that may affect optimal health outcomes for the group of people I am going to be
working with would probably be that there is more than just the patient that needs to be helped.
When the child is diagnosed with cancer, the whole family becomes affected, the parents may
have to give up work, or work more to pay the bills and they may have more than just this child
at home depending on them, the childs siblings need education on what is happening to their
brother or sister etc. We have to provide care for everyone who is in that childs life and
understand that its more than just the cancer that is going to be involved. Another barrier that is
most children who are diagnosed with childhood cancer and surviving into adulthood, but are
not receiving adequate or appropriate follow up health care(Zebrack et al., 2004, p. 843).
My expectation for doing this project with this specific foundation is that I want to be
able to speak with people who are going through something that can be potentially devastating
and be able to give them something to look forward to, I dont mean giving false hope, but to
show the child and their families that people are in this world that really care about them
regardless of what stage in life they are coming from. I hope to be able to encourage others to
want to volunteer for this organization by my own passion to help. I know that may not be
enough, but once I have more information readily available I can share what I know and my own
experiences with them if they are interested in getting involved with the community.

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References

Keith, K. A. (2016). To serve first: The servant leadership journey. Retrieved from
http://toservefirst.com/definition-of-servant-leadership.html
Williams, E. (n.d.). Define professionalism in nursing. Retrieved from
http://work.chron.com/define-professionalism-nursing-15763.html
Zebrack, B. J., Eshelman, D. A., Hudson, M. M., Mertens, A. C., Cotter, K. L., Foster, B. M., ...
Oeffinger, K. C. (2004). Health care for childhood cancer survivors. Retrieved from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/cncr.20033/asset/20033_ftp.pdf;jsessionid=2
BF561194357A63C94283B7B07D84578.f04t04?v=1&t=ik389vns&s=b2fadbd64f973ca
b42aab423488a0b36a04505a1