Conduct a "Windshield Survey" in a section of your community. Instructions for the survey can be found in Stanhope and Lancaster (2016) on page 416, Table 18-6. As you notice, conducting a Windshield Survey requires that you either walk around or drive around a particular section of the community and take notes about what you observe.
A Windshield Survey cannot be conducted by reviewing websites or Google Earth only. It requires actually taking a look at the selected area of the community.
This survey should be focused on the problem and population you have selected for your practicum project. If you choose, for example, obesity among Hispanic schoolchildren, you might want to locate a section of the community where many Hispanic children live, or you might want to conduct the Windshield Survey around where Hispanic children attend school. If Hispanic children are not found in a specific section of your community (e.g., Chinatown in San Francisco or Harlem in New York), then you may select the section of the community where you live or work but pay particular attention to your practicum population and practicum problem as you conduct a survey of the community as viewed through the eyes of the public health nurse.
Submit a 3- to 4-page paper including:
- Introduction to the community, including the name of the community and any interesting or historical facts you would like to add about where you live
- Photographs of the selected area of the community that serve as evidence of your observations and hypotheses
- Windshield Survey findings, including a description of the section of your community that you chose to survey
- Description of the Vulnerable Population and Available Resources
o Demographics of the vulnerable population
o What social determinants create their vulnerable status?
o What community strengths exist to assist this population?
- Conclusions based on Nursing Assessment of the Community
o Based on what you have found, what conclusions can you draw about your community and your selected population for your practicum?