[Faculty of Global Nursing] "Town Health Center" volunteer activities begin this year

"Town Health Rooms" are places where people living in the community can casually consult with nurses about health, nursing care, child-rearing, etc., and are operated all over the country for a wide range of age groups, from infants to the elderly. At our university, with the cooperation of the Osaka Prefectural Nursing Association, students and faculty from Faculty of Global Nursing have been participating as volunteers in the "Town Health Rooms," marking their fourth year of activities this year.

This year's activities began in July, with three students and two faculty members participating at Osaka City Central Library and Sakai City West Library. The students were primarily responsible for measuring visitors' physical, blood pressure, and grip strength, and also observed nurses providing health consultations. Through these activities, students gained practical experience learning the skills necessary for professional nursing, such as communication skills, observational abilities, the ability to identify local health issues, and how to provide advice that is sensitive to each individual's lifestyle and thoughts. For faculty, the activities also provided an opportunity to discover new sides of students that would not be seen on campus, and to enhance their teaching skills by carefully interacting with small groups of students.

Going forward, we plan to continue and develop volunteer participation in the "Town Health Center" as an initiative to support the health of the local community.

(Source: Faculty of Global Nursing)