Volunteering and community service projects are often built into the curriculum of COD's Nursing and Health Sciences programs. The benefits for NHS students are just as plentiful as they are for the individuals and organizations that receive the students' time, attention, and budding clinical skills.
A special thank you to the instructors and students that generously agreed to let the Library showcase their evidence-based assignments and projects. They serve as shining examples of the many ways NHS students and graduates contribute positively to public health.
RESP 1102 Intermediate Respiratory Care
View the educational, research-driven, Respiratory Care student projects located in DigitalCommons@COD!
"The Respiratory Therapy program at College of DuPage is like a large family. We are cohort based, so, when our students enter into the program, they learn together from their initial courses until graduation. We spend 5 semesters together with only 6 instructors in the program. When our students graduate, they immediately are ready to sit for their board exams, obtain state licenses, and begin practicing as Respiratory Therapists." ~Christa Brennan, Associate Professor, Program Chair
Students are introduced to research with this project. They select a respiratory-focused disease process that they want to learn more about. Healthcare is all research driven. We want our students to feel comfortable finding credible sources and reading research articles & journals. Sometimes learning how to locate applicable resources is the most difficult task!
To assist with their research, students utilize the Library's Respiratory Care research guide.
NURSI 2330 Role of the Nurse II
Stop by and view the informative, research-driven, Nursing student posters on display throughout our Library during the NLM Exhibit!
Nursing Sensitive Indicators are elements of patient care directly affected by nursing practice. They articulate the value of nursing’s contribution by measuring elements of patient care and patient outcomes that are directly affected by nursing practice. Conference Posters serve as an effective form of communication related to evidence-based practice. Members of a profession utilize posters to communicate advances in the profession. As a professional nurse, it is expected that COD's Nursing students will contribute to the body of nursing knowledge.
The poster presentation will prepare students for sharing evidence-based practice findings with nursing peers. This assignment encourages students to collaborate with their classmates to create a poster template and present their work. Four to five students are assigned to a Nursing Sensitive Indicator. APA format is required and expected for this assignment. Completed poster templates were printed and displayed in the Health Science Center Atrium on the first day of the NURSI 2340 – Practicum.
To assist with their research, students utilize the Library's Nursing research guide.
The Nursing Sensitive Indicators are as follows:
- Patient Falls and Injuries
- Pressure Ulcers
- Ventilator Associated Pneumonia
- Central-line Associated Blood Stream Infections (CLABSI)
- Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
- Reducing Medication Errors
- Pediatric Pain Assessment
- Pediatric Peripheral Intravenous Line Infiltrations
- Prevention of Hospital-Onset Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Infections
- Prevention of Hospital-Onset Clostridium difficile (C-Diff)
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Instructions - Nurse Sensitive Indicators Poster The Nurse Sensitive Indicators Poster project assignment
DEHYG-2233 Community Dental Health II
Stop by and view the creative, research-driven, Dental Hygiene student posters on display throughout our Library during the NLM Exhibit!
The Dental Hygiene Program 2nd year students annually provide a poster session for their Community Health II Class, DEHYG-2233. This "Celebration of Learning" poster session is presented to 1st year dental hygiene students and local, practicing dental hygienists. In April 2025, the local Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association West Suburban/Fox Valley Component hosted the event in the HSC Atrium. Each year, this popular event draws between 50-90 attendees.
Students worked in groups of two to choose their public/community health topic. Topics could be related to dental education, fluoridation, community projects or holistic health. Students were asked to consider: How is the topic you picked relevant to public health? How does your topic affect public health? Is your topic of benefit for access to care or dental disease? In what way?
Students researched their topics using reputable sources published within the last 7 years. There is a lot of information that could be presented on these topics, so the students determined three learning objectives that helped to keep their presentations streamlined. Each pair of students prepared a table presentation and poster. References and additional information were available in pamphlets that attendees accessed through a QR code located on the posters.
To assist with their research, students utilize the Library's Dental Hygiene research guide.
2025 Exhibit topics included:
- SDF: The Painless Affordable Revolution in Dental Care
- Beyond the Smile
- Dental Therapists Expanding Dental Care
- No More Dry Mouth
- Smiles Without Barriers
- Multilingual Communication
- Tiny Teeth, Big Problems: The Effect of Early Childhood Caries
- Sealants in Public Health
- Teledentistry - The Future of Oral Health Care
- Commit to Quit
- The “Sweet” Truth—Unpacking the Difficulties of Diabetes
- Dental Deserts
- Public Health Dental Hygienists in Illinois
- Nanohydroxyapatite
In addition to the "Celebration of Learning," the Dental Hygiene program offers many community-outreach, educational programs including "Give Kids A Smile Day."
