Healthy People 2020: Handwashing
After reviewing the Healthy People 2020 website, I decided to teach a group of four-year-old preschooler’s proper hand washing for my teaching plan. To meet this need several health-teaching projects have been developed to educate the preschoolers on how to better care for themselves. This teaching plan would fit into the category of disease prevention and health promotion. According to Bastable (2010), health promotion focuses on increasing wellness through approach behaviors, such as hand washing, rather than avoidance behaviors. Also, hand washing is one of the most important and effective ways to reduce the spread of germs and decrease the risk of illness and disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). The most effective method for preventing transmission is hand washing. Participants will be taught the step-by-step instructions on how to properly wash their hands, and when they should wash their hands. Before eating, when preparing food, after shaking hands, after going to the bathroom and after coughing or sneezing will be emphasized as important times to wash hands.

The most difficult part of creating this teaching plan was developing rationales for the instructional methods. There were a lot of influential factors based on development, learning needs and learning styles. I had to really think about the reasoning behind my methods of instruction and the intended audience. Once their routines were determined, I assessed for any knowledge deficit. I also surveyed the family about when they think they should wash their hands, when they normally wash their hands, and how they rate the importance of hand washing. I have explained the method and materials that will be used for teaching and my client is looking forward to learning more techniques that can improve her quality of life. My comfort level for presenting my teaching plan would be moderate. I feel I struggled with this assignment. There was a lot of material to cover and I was on the fence about which topic to choose. I would feel more comfortable teaching my plan if I had a practice audience first. This way I could get some feedback. I also feel I was a little hesitant about my intended audience because I don’t work with children and I chose the topic with the four-year-old preschoolers. Even though I chose to educate the parents, I kept thinking about the easiest way for the parents to relay the information to their children. Many individuals find in challenging to stay healthy during this time, especially the preschooler. Three significant techniques on how to stay healthy during the winter will be discussed including effective hand washing, coughing and sneezing etiquette and how to properly dress for cold weather. Prevention of exposure is the most effective way to control these diseases in these sorts of living conditions and regularly washing hands and following proper cough/sneeze etiquette can do this.

Reference

Bastable, S. (2010). Nurse as educator: Principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice. (3rd ed.). Boston: Jones & Bartlett.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012). Handwashing: Clean hands save lives. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/