Hands-on Training for BU Nursing Students

A new school year doesn’t just bring students and teachers back into the classrooms, Louisville Water educators are also busy sharing hundreds of lessons.

Community Relations Specialist Barbara Crow has taught thousands of little kids a valuable life lesson: proper handwashing techniques, with Louisville Water’s Clean Hands Up! program.

But earlier this month, Crow wasn’t speaking to pre-schoolers and kindergarteners. She was front and center in a lecture hall on Bellarmine University’s campus. And this time, she was teaching a room full of nursing students. As part of their class, the students will visit local schools to teach proper handwashing.

As it turned out, some of the nursing majors from Louisville shared their memories of learning the handwashing lessons in elementary school.

“Water is the building block of public health,” Crow told the class.

After giving them a brief overview, she launched into her lesson, teaching the students as if she was teaching a group of four, five, and six-year-olds. She talked about where our drinking water comes from, how we use it, and then she brought out squishy “germs” to illustrate why it’s so important to wash our hands.

Next up, it was time to get ‘dirty’ for a hands-on lesson. Bellarmine senior Logan Smith lathered his hands with glow-in-the-dark lotion, washed his hands, and returned for an inspection with a black light. He passed with flying colors.

“It’s something we’ve gone over, but it’s always important to remember just because of the hospital settings. It’s very easy to reach for the hand sanitizer and completely skip handwashing,” Smith said. “Handwashing is better. It keeps germs and bacteria away. It keeps you healthy. It keeps other people healthy.”

For Crow, teaching others who can spread the message is a win-win.

“It’s all about making community connections and extending our education and outreach,” she said. “Working with nursing students gives Louisville Water an opportunity to make sure future health professionals know how great our water is, but it also gets the handwashing message out to thousands more students. Both of those things have a positive impact.”

Louisville Water will teach Clean Hands Up! to hundreds of classes throughout the year, including a huge push during National Handwashing Week in December.

With cold and flu season coming up, Tapper has a fun video to get your little ones into the habit of washing their hands!