Practical Nursing Students' Project Breaks Language Barriers

Columbus Technical College senior Practical Nursing (PN) students Lee Cunningham, Kimberly Sanderson, Lymertis Blackmon and Chanel Carter are helping break down language barriers between inmates and clinical workers. As part of their course requirements, PN students must develop and present a performance improvement project to one of their clinical facilities.

PN Students
(left to right) Columbus Technical College Practical Nursing students Chanel Carter, Lymertis Blackmon, Kimberly Sanderson and Lee Cunningham show off their project binder. The binder holds forms in both English and Spanish that the Muscogee County Jail is now using to process inmates in its clinic.

These students chose to create forms in both English and Spanish for the Muscogee County Jail. The forms include: screening guidelines for suicide prevention, a medical screening form, a consent form, a drug abuse screening form and a TB form to be used in the medical clinics.

Health Services Administrator for the Muscogee County Jail, Paul Morris, RN, said of the project, "All too often we expect the patient to conform to the systems we have in place rather than adjust and adapt ourselves and our systems to meet the needs of the patient. Clearly, the mental agility required of providers in the medical systems of the immediate future is being nurtured in Columbus Technical College and the Licensed Practical Nursing program." The medical director for the jail in Harris County, Georgia was so impressed by the forms he'd like to implement them as well.

Practical Nursing Program Manager, Ramona Mulleins said, "I think this shows a great credit upon the college and the program."

These students not only have bragging rights for getting a great grade on their project but they also know they're making a huge difference in a lot of lives.