Tuberculin (TB) PPD testing was carried out in a 104 bed adult care facility by senior nursing students from Elmira College in their Community Health Nursing course. Residents of the facility were from south central New York State. At the time, all residents were White. In this region of New York State, one of the fastest growing groups with active tuberculosis is White elderly. Testing of residents would provide an appropriate clinical experience for students, and would provide a baseline for the local public health agency in the event that a resident developed active TB. Schuyler County Public Health sponsored the clinic. RN students notified pyhysicians of the upcoming clinic, and mailed requests for updated immunization records. Only one resident had a previously documented PPD. Two other residents refused testing, as they reported either previous positive PPD, or previous TB disease. Six traditional (non-licensed) students administered the skin tests on a Tuesday; four RN student returned in 48 hours to read results. A second group of six students returned in two weeks to retest the residents, as part of the recommended two-step method. 48 hours later, another group of RN students returned to read results. All reisdents tested less than five millimeters induration after the two-step method. Each non-licensed student administered 10 to 15 PPD's. This experience provided a meaningful experience for all the students and met a health need for this community by establishing a base line for this high risk group.
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