Kids Vision for Life St. Louis (KVFL) is proud to partner with several area nursing programs. Our partnership with these programs allows nursing students to complete clinical hours while working with the KVFL program.
We spoke with Devita Stallings, Assistant Professor at Saint Louis University’s School of Nursing, about their involvement with our program.
Students enrolled in the College of Nursing complete their clinical hours with many local agencies, ranging from caring for school-aged children, the homeless population, older adults in community settings, and jail inmates. KVFL began our partnership with the College of Nursing this year and is honored to serve as a community partner to these students as they are introduced to the concepts and principles of public health and the practice of public health nursing. Since August 2016, twenty-four student nurses have completed clinical hours with KVFL’s in-school program and have gained valuable experience with both screening and exam days as they work in a school setting.
Students who have completed hours with KVFL have had positive experiences with the program. Stallings reports that “the students really enjoy working with KVFL and being able to provide vision screenings for children that may not otherwise receive these services.”
Amanda Harley, a student nurse with SLU’s School of Nursing has had a great experience with KVFL. “Kids Vision for Life provided me with a great opportunity to perform vision screenings and provide glasses to children in need of them. Some of the children who had their vision screenings done may have never had their vision checked before. Being able to provide them with the correct prescription of glasses could possibly help them perform better in school, which is something I love knowing. I love knowing that by doing the vision screenings, I was making an impact on these children’s lives, even if it is just by checking their vision. I really enjoyed partaking in Kids Vision for Life, and I hope every student nurse can get that opportunity some day.”
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SLU has been a national leader in nursing education since 1928 and has a national reputation for innovative and pioneering bachelor’s, master’s, post-master’s nurse practitioner certificate and doctoral (D.N.P. and Ph.D.) programs. SLU’s School of Nursing programs are nationally recognized for their innovative and comprehensive curricula. Throughout the years, the School of Nursing’s faculty has played a pivotal role in advancing the growing field of nursing research.
