Implementation of an Innovative Learning Experience to Address Vaccine Hesitancy

Haley Townsend; Sara Kaylor; Paige Johnson

doi:10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001261

Implementation of an Innovative Learning Experience to Address Vaccine Hesitancy

Nurs Educ Perspect. 2024 Apr 10. doi: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001261. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Haley Townsend¹, Sara Kaylor, Paige Johnson

Affiliation

¹ About the Authors The authors are faculty at The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Haley Townsend, EdD, RN, FNP-BC, is an assistant Professor. Sara Kaylor, EdD, RN, CNE, is an associate professor. Paige Johnson, PhD, RN, is associate professor and Saxon Chair for Rural Nursing. This project was supported by the Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Among Nurses and in Communities grant funded by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The authors acknowledge the support of our community partner, CHOICE, Inc., which made implementation of this project possible. For more information, contact Dr. Townsend at hmfranklin@ua.edu.

PMID: 38595187
DOI: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001261

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccine hesitancy highlighted the need for additional learning experiences for nursing students to address person-centered care and communication. This project aimed to employ a three-step service-learning experience consisting of town hall meetings, motivational interviewing training, and rural health fairs to address vaccine hesitancy in communities surrounding the college. Evaluation of the project revealed satisfaction and increased confidence among participating nursing students.