Cancer Awareness Teaching

Nursing 205 VATNP
October 30, 2013

Abstract
The purpose of the Cancer Awareness Teaching Project is for a group of nursing students to go into the community of Buchanan County and teach at least five citizens with audible and visual material with early cancer detection signs and signs and symptoms of cancer. The nursing students in our group began by giving the group a pre-knowledge cancer survey, followed by a seminar on early detection. After the seminar the participants were asked to complete a post-knowledge survey, evaluating what the participants had learned from the seminar. The participants expressed how surprised at the knowledge they had learned of this deadly and growing disease. If I had to do this project again I would schedule a building large enough for the entire community to participate and would use models so the participants could feel the differences in normal tissue and ones affected with carcinoma.

Teaching Learning Objectives
When cancer is involved early detection is your best chance for survival. This is what motivated our group to lecture on early detection and signs and symptoms. It is important to detect cancer as soon as possible while it is still small before it has the chance to grow and spread throughout one’s body (American Cancer Society, 2010). We taught the participants the importance of knowing their own bodies, how to identify if there is any changes because many cancers are silent and have no symptoms. The importance of having regular annual exams and screenings with their physician’s. Examples of some points of cancer detection are as follows:
HPV Vaccinations
Screening tests for colon cancer
Screening tests for prostate cancer
Screening tests for cervical, ovarian and uterine cancers
Self- breast exams
Self-testicular exams
Self-exam of skin
Screening for skin cancers
Risk factors for cancers

Methods Used While Teaching
We used various audio and visual methods while teaching because everyone learns differently. We provided hand-outs provided by instructors on Blackboard to the participants and thoroughly explained them. The participants completed a pre-knowledge survey, so we could have a guide as their base knowledge of cancer and a post-knowledge survey so we could correctly evaluate what knowledge the participants had gained from the seminar. We demonstrated how to correctly do self-exams at home and expressed the best days of the month to do these. We explained the importance of seeing their physician if the findings are abnormal. The participants showed return demonstration and verbal understanding of the topics covered in the teaching.

If Objectives Were Met or Not. As a group we made the decision that the objectives for this teaching project were effectively met. Before the teaching seminar the participants completed a pre-knowledge survey that identified they had little knowledge on the early detection of certain cancers. After the teaching seminar a post-knowledge survey was completed by the participants which identified that they had effectively learned from the teaching methods used. The group also did a return demonstration of self-exams and verbally identified the knowledge they had learned, which let us know the teaching methods used were successful.

What Would Be Different for the Next Project. I would try to obtain a larger building and get the entire community involved because cancer awareness is a very important subject in our area, cancer is rapidly growing in our community. It affects at least one person from every family in this area. I would use models so the participants can distinguish the feeling between normal and abnormal tissue. I feel that our teaching was effective to the participants we taught and it made my day brighter to think that maybe we we’re helping to save a life at some point in time with early detection.
References
American Cancer Society, (2010). Cancer Facts and Figures.
National Cancer Institute, (2008) Cancer Facts. HPV and Cancer. Questions and Answers, (NIH Publication Number F703).
National Cancer Institute, (2010). Cancer Facts. Testicular Cancer. (NIH Publication Number F489)
National Cancer Institute, (2009). What You Need to Know about Breast Cancer. (NIH Publication Number 09-1556).
National Cancer Institute, (2008). What You Need to Know About Cervical Cancer. (NIH Publication Number 08-2047).
National Cancer Institute, (2006). What You Need to Know About Cancer of the Rectum and Colon. (NIH Publication Number 06-1552).
National Cancer Institute, (2009). What You Need to Know About Skin Cancer. (NIH Publication Number 09-1564).

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References: American Cancer Society, (2010). Cancer Facts and Figures. National Cancer Institute, (2008) Cancer Facts. HPV and Cancer. Questions and Answers, (NIH Publication Number F703). National Cancer Institute, (2010). Cancer Facts. Testicular Cancer. (NIH Publication Number F489) National Cancer Institute, (2009) National Cancer Institute, (2008). What You Need to Know About Cervical Cancer. (NIH Publication Number 08-2047). National Cancer Institute, (2006). What You Need to Know About Cancer of the Rectum and Colon. (NIH Publication Number 06-1552). National Cancer Institute, (2009). What You Need to Know About Skin Cancer. (NIH Publication Number 09-1564).