Hand-washing and other helpful hygiene hints ranked high on the list for pharmacy students’ regional presentations as they hit the road to educate elementary school children about wellness recently.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy (SOP) majors are visiting 378 classrooms in approximately 50 regional schools to teach pre-K through third-grade youngsters about the prevention of viral and bacterial illness.
“Today, we’re going to talk about germs and hand washing,” first-year student Andrew Moore told his young audience on a visit with fellow student Aaron Burge, SIUE reported on its website. “Germs are like tiny invaders that get into your body and make you feel sick, including bacteria and viruses.”
With kid-friendly techniques such as true-false quizzes and reading aloud, the white-jacketed college students held their audiences’ attention.
“Pharmacists are educators,” Burge said. “We need to be able to teach the public, especially kids, so practicing now is important. Getting the students engaged has … made learning fun. That was our goal.”
Jennifer Arnoldi, SOP’s clinical associate professor and experiential education coordinator, cited higher chances for fewer sick days, better eating habits and overall greater energy levels for informed children.
“This program trains student pharmacists to provide community-focused education throughout the rest of pharmacy school and beyond,” Arnoldi said.
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