Villanova University’s chapter of the Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) is partnering with Delaplaine McDaniel Elementary School in Philadelphia for a vision screening Nov. 30. Students will work side-by-side with school nurse Rodney Abary to provide vision and height/weight screenings. Through the vision screenings, the team will help identify students in need of vision correction to assure they get the intervention they need to thrive academically. Any child that does not pass the vision test receives free follow up from such resources as the Philadelphia Eagles Flight for Sight program, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Wills Eye Hospital. To date, Villanova nursing students and SNAP have screened over 1,200 children. Past screenings have shown that nearly one in five children were unable to pass the vision test.
The College of Nursing’s work with McDaniel Elementary School is ongoing and takes on several forms. Villanova University sent three buses of Villanova nurses (undergraduate and graduate nursing students, faculty and alumni) to the school for the University’s annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service. In addition, the Villanova chapter of SNAP continues service projects at McDaniel throughout the school year. In fact, their work with McDaniel Elementary School was recognized by the state SNAP with the 2012 state Community Health Award. They also received the National Student Nurses Association's 2012 award for the "Most Effective Community Service Project" nationally. Through programs such as this one at McDaniel Elementary School, Villanova’s College of Nursing is making a difference in community health. SNAP Advisor Carol Toussie Weingarten, PhD, RN, ANEF, and senior nursing students are based at the school for the clinical course Health Promotion and Community Health.
Through its curriculum and co-curricular activities, Villanova’s College of Nursing is committed to offering educational programs that best serve the needs of its students, as well as the larger health care community. Through community and global health programs, the College and its students are developing health fairs, teaching classes and assessing the needs of varied populations – raising awareness of health issues and concerns locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
The Villanova University College of Nursing, established in 1953, is a nationally recognized premier nursing program under Augustinian Catholic auspices with a mission to create a synergy between compassion and clinical excellence. Designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing, the College provides a values-based undergraduate education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences that prepares students to assume positions as productive, ethical, and socially responsible citizens and leaders providing care in clinical and community settings. Its reputation is solidified by its rigorous, top-ranked graduate program to prepare advanced practice nurses, administrators and nurse educators; its environment for faculty and student scholarship; its respected continuing nursing education program and the leadership contributions of its students, faculty and alumni in nursing and health care around the world. Click here for more information on the College of Nursing.
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's five colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing and the Villanova University School of Law. As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them.
