Windshield Survey and Key Informant Interviews Assignment – (Community Health for Nursing).

Windshield Survey and Key Informant Interviews Assignment – (Community Health for Nursing). Please look at all 4 files provided and follow the instructions that are written in the file. Use the the Template Assignment File to put the answers in. For this assignment you can use the focal point as a school or house and you can use the zip code 75214 or whatever works for you. Just please follow the instruction and rubric.

Assignment One: Community Windshield Survey and Key Informants

Community health nurses begin the nursing process with assessment of a community.  It is essential to know your specific community to identify health needs, determine a community health nursing diagnosis, develop a plan-of-action, and implement and evaluate the nursing intervention.  You may also identify health-related resources and note gaps in services. The first step in a community assessment is subjective data collection. Two methods will be used for this assignment: Windshield Survey and Key Informant interviews. This assignment is 20% of your overall course grade.  See course schedule for due date.

Directions

    Use of Course Template for Assignments

● Complete this assignment using the Course Template for Assignment #1.

● Submit Assignment #1 upon completion.  Do not combine submission of Assignments.

● All template sections must be complete and thorough.

● Assignments 1-3 do not require a cover sheet. 

● Use APA writing standards.

 ● Selecting a Focal Point in the Community

Locate a community focal/starting point (for example, neighborhood, church, clinic, school,

or other) in the city or county where you live. You can also use the clinical site to which you are assigned as a focal point.  Once you select a focal point, you will conduct a survey of the community around the site.  Specifically, you will survey a 10-block radius of the facility – 10 blocks north, 10 blocks south, 10 blocks east, and 10 blocks west.  If one of the factors you are surveying is NOT within the area being surveyed, (for example, a hospital), note such and state how far away it is, and how people will access it.  If you do not see something required in your survey of the community, for example, homeless persons, note that no homeless persons were observed. 

● In the description of the core community, identify the geographical boundaries of your focal point.  Describe geographic markers for the boundary lines.  For example, you would indicate

which street, railroad track, creek, and/or other marks the north boundary.  Do the same for all four geographic directions from your focal point.  Set the scene for the reader in descriptive

terms. 

• You may use a census tract to define your assessment community, this is an option.  It is not a course requirement.  Refer to course resources to locate information on how to access census tracts.  The use of either a focal point or a census tract will receive equal grade value. 
• When submitting this assignment submit by the due date via Blackboard Assignment Drop Box- you must notify the Clinical Professor PRIOR to the due date if it is going to be late and will lose 5 points per day as stated in the Syllabus

Community Windshield Survey

A Community Windshield Survey is conducted from a car and provides a visual, cursory overview of your community. Geographic boundaries are to be noted.  Common characteristics are observed, as well as, the rhythm of a community.  Data collected during the Windshield Survey will help define community trends, stability of neighborhoods, and conditions that could affect the health of the population.  This will provide background and context for working within a community. This data is one component of a complete assessment.  Observations will also drive your community diagnoses.  In order to compile the best data possible and formulate a complete picture of your community, you may drive in your assigned area a minimum of three occasions at varying times, for example, one weekday morning, one weekday evening, and one weekend day.

General Safety Tips:

• Make sure your car is in good working condition and has plenty of gasoline.
• Wear your UTACON uniform and proper identification badge.
• Have a friend/UTACON partner drive you while you take notes (provides moral support, and often a different perspective of the area).
• Be prepared for inclement weather (umbrella).
• Bring a map, GPS or GPS on your cell phone.
• Keep your cell phone handy and fully- charged in case of an emergency.

Key Informant Interviews

Key Informant interviews are direct communications with community members.  Talking with community members is essential in effective data collection and provides depth to a community assessment.  Information from Key Informant interviews further probes the community’s needs, wants and priorities,  as perceived by a community member.  This qualitative information will complement the findings from your Windshield Survey and guide you in developing and adjusting your community diagnoses.  Selected members of a community are interviewed to note personal stories and opinions of a target community.  A Key Informant can be any person who has a good understanding of your target community.  Key Informants are not always persons with a formal title or position.  Informal Key Informants should also be included, as feasible.  Potential key informants include community member, teacher or school counselor, religious or secular leader, police officer, firefighter, local service provider, and others.  Interviews can take place formally or informally – preferably in a setting familiar to the informant.  Observe

safety precautions.  Conduct the interview in a public place.

General Tips:

• Assure the informant of confidentiality.
• Avoid judgmental tones so as not to influence responses.
• Show empathy with the informant and interest in understanding his/her views.
• Let the informant do most of the talking.
• Be an active, attentive listener.
• Pace yourself according to the time you have allotted for the interview. Plan to interview an informant for about 20 minutes.
• THANK your key informant for participation and time.
• NEVER go into a private residence even if invited.  Politely, remain outside.

Assignment #1: Community Windshield Survey and Key Informant Interviews

    Please complete the following information about your target community.  Be certain to use your textbook as a guide.  Refer to the corresponding grading rubric to assist you to

    follow directions and include all required areas in the community assessment.

  CommunityWindshield Survey

  ● Using the Course Template for Assignment #1, complete each section as noted below.

  ● Refer to the Assignment #1 Template for details of information to be included per

     section in the following categories:

            ●  Physical Environment

            ●  People

            ●  Services in the Community

            ● Key Informants

            ● Analysis of Windshield Survey

  Request for Assistance

  For assistance with any aspect of this assignment, contact your respective Clinical Faculty.

 You may also present questions about your assignment in class.  We are glad to assist you.