PI: Lacey M. Eden

The purpose of this MEG to mentor nursing students through the process of implementing an education program for pregnant women regarding the importance of Tdap immunization during pregnancy, and to assist Utah County obstetric offices in improving Tdap immunization rates among their patients. Additionally, this project provided an opportunity for undergraduate students to educate the public and utilize health information-technology to empower the patient to be proactive about their care and the protection of their unborn child.

The MEG funding was successfully utilized for its intended purpose (production of a mobile application to educate and remind pregnant women about needed and upcoming obstetric appointments and tests). The average cost to produce a mobile application is $30,000, with careful management the cost of production was well below average bids. Although we were able to successfully complete the production of the mobile app and toolkit, there wasn’t enough funding for the student-led community seminars originally planned into the project.

Evaluation of how well the Academic Objectives of the Proposal were met

• • Objective #1-Mentoring environment will include six undergraduate students. I’m happy
    to report that we were able to include six students in this MEG project. The degree and
    depth to which the six students participated and contributed to the project went far beyond
    what was anticipated. Thus, the first academic objective was met.
  • Objective #2-Mentoring will include orientation and planning meetings and bi-monthly
    group and/or individual meetings. Because of the strong collaboration and mentoring of
    undergraduate students, all mentored students were able to actively participate in
    collaboration with the Utah County Health Department, the Utah County Immunization
    Coalition and the Arizona Partnership for Immunization in toolkit development,
    educational material for the mobile application, and presenting at conferences. To
    accomplish everything, we held an initial orientation meeting and bi-monthly group and
    individual meetings over the course of the project. Consequently, the mentoring
    environment was rich, involving students from the beginning to the end of the project.

The mentored undergraduate students, who were also be hired as research assistants,
gathered and created educational materials to be included in mobile application. The
undergraduate students created the general concept and layout of the application. In
addition, the students created a toolkit to be delivered to obstetric offices in Utah County.
All mentored students collaborated with faculty on submitting abstracts for presentations
at conferences of which were accepted and successfully presented. Hence, the second
academic objective was met.

• Objective #3-Mentored students will have opportunity to collaborate with Utah public
  health officials and immunization experts. The undergraduate students collaborated with
  Utah public health officials and immunization experts to check for completeness of mobile
  application items and toolkit content.

Evaluation of the Mentoring Environment

This mentoring environment successfully provided learning opportunities and collaboration not otherwise obtained in the classroom. Informal reports from undergraduate students indicated a developing desire to become a change agent and love for public health initiatives. Mentored students expressed a deeper understanding of the nursing discipline and the depth and breadth to which they can contribute.

Additionally, students fully participated in every aspect of the project, from mobile app development to abstract submission and poster presentation. All five of the undergraduate students have expressed interest in continuing participation in public health projects. Two students went on to co-author two different immunization articles in a nationwide parent consumer magazine titled Ready, Set, Grow. One student after graduating this spring semester obtained a job in a highly competitive area and hospital in Houston, Texas. The mentoring environment empowered these students with confidence and knowledge needed to continually learn and serve in the nursing field.

List of Students who Participated and what Academic Deliverables they have Produced or are Anticipated they will Produce

Undergraduate students: Annie Tyler, Halie Fellows, Brooke Stacey, Jacquie Salgado, Allie Simmons, Erin Marshall

Produced Academic Deliverables (names in italics are students):

Presentations
Local
Eden, L. M., Ray, G., Macintosh, J. L. B., Luthy, K. E., Beckstrand, R. L., Fellows, H., Tyler, A. & Stacey, B. (2016, April). Improving immunization rates among pregnant women. Poster presentation at the Utah Chapter NAPNAP Conference, Ogden, UT. 200 people present.

National
Eden, L. M., Ray, G., Macintosh, J. L. B., Luthy, K. E., Beckstrand, R. L., Fellows, H., Tyler, A. & Stacey, B. (2016, April). Improving immunization rates among pregnant women. Poster presentation at the Western Institute of Nursing’s 49th Annual Communicating Nursing Research Conference in Anaheim, CA.

Description of How the Budget was Spent