SON: About the School

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Diversity at the Heart of Teaching, Research, Service
"I had no idea what to expect at Cleveland High School. I felt
as though I stuck out like a sore thumb. I have never really
been in a situation where I am the minority."
–Heather Brown, Nursing Senior
Heather Brown wrote these words in her journal last spring when she and nine other nursing seniors of diverse ages, backgrounds and interests found themselves in one of Seattle's most ethnically-diverse inner-city high schools, a place where the majority of students are economically disadvantaged and many others come from first generation immigrant families. She was there with Associate Professor of Family and Child Nursing Catherine Lindenberg, one of four faculty at different sites who teach Nursing Clinical 409, "Partnerships for Community Health," a required course of lectures, readings and hands-on clinical experiences where students "step out of their comfort zones" to learn first hand about nursing process at the community level.

Nursing students work in small groups
with Cleveland High School students.

Since 1918, when a public health nursing course with a community-based clinical component launched what was to become the School of Nursing, community health has been an integral part of nursing instruction. And because early clinical experiences were located through public health departments, explains Associate Professor of Psychosocial and Community Health Rebecca Kang, the focus has always been on underserved communities. Kang established the current program of community-based partnerships that form the foundation for NClin 409. Acting on the suggestion of nurse anthropologist Marjorie Muecke in 1994, she began exploring possible sites in Seattle's Rainer Valley, a community known for its ethnically-rich population of first-generation immigrants. From 1994-96, Kang created over 16 sites where 200 nursing students and 16 faculty worked with community members on 50 projects. "Initially, the community did not understand what we were trying to do," explains Kang, who was the first Asian-American graduate of the nursing doctoral program. "But the relationships that finally evolved have been truly remarkable and have had long-term ramifications."

One shining example of this is Cleveland High School (CHS), where over five graduating classes have now been involved with the School of Nursing throughout their high school experience. Frances Marcus Lewis, now a Soule Endowed Professor in Nursing and Health Promotion, "built a foundation of trust at Cleveland High School through her work there in 1994 which is still going strong today," Kang explained.

Under Lindenberg's tutelage this spring, nursing students volunteered in Cleveland's teen health clinic, taught a variety of sessions in a 9th grade health education class, and transformed the Student Activities Center "from a dilapidated storage and exercise room to a comfortable and welcoming 'hang-out,'" according to one student. They also served as stimulating role models so that many students began voicing an interest in college. One outcome of this was the participation of CHS students in the first-ever bilingual nursing assistant program at a nearby community college through an arrangement facilitated by Lindenberg in conjunction with Cleveland High School and SeaMar, a Latino community health care agency. Three teens completed the inaugural program this summer, one with a 4.0 GPA who has recently been given a Gates Scholarship to pursue further studies in the health sciences.

Lindenberg believes that nursing students' experiences in programs like this link community needs with learning needs and their teacher's research agenda in a "genuine partnership" of complementary skills and opportunities. "It builds something greater than the sum of its parts," she notes. Raised in Costa Rica, Lindenberg has a long research and service history with Latino communities. She is currently involved in a pilot health promotion intervention study which hopes to build greater resilience and reduce risky behaviors among predominantly Latino youth. The intervention innovatively uses the Internet to provide an interactive, bilingual program to help teens make positive decisions affecting their health.

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