There are so many community resources in the Rutherford County area. It is important for people, especially nurses, to give a portion of their time volunteering to help these agencies run smoothly. I was privilaged to be able to volunteer time at the Pregnancy Support Center in Murfreesboro, TN. Below is a quick journal of my experiences there. In this journal, I will explain how the center runs, the services they offer, and what I was able to assist with.
Service Learning Clinical
I spent my time for the service learning portion of clinical at the pregnancy support center. The pregnancy support center is a volunteer ran organization that provides assistance and counseling to women you are pregnant. It is a pro-life agency, and abortions are not performed nor recommended. The center is free of charge for all of the services they provide.
Anyone can come to the center, no matter how great or small their income. They offer pregnancy testing to anyone that may suspect they are pregnant and wish to be tested. Several women actually came in for testing on this day. For those women who are pregnant, they offer a first ultrasound. However, they must be performed within the first 13 weeks. They also offer over 100 classes to anyone who wishes to take them. By taking the class, which consist of watching a video and doing worksheets, the mothers and fathers can earn “baby bucks.” These baby bucks can be used to purchase items in the store they have onsite. The items in the store are donated by vendors but mostly by members of the community. They have new and used items. With just one baby buck, a mother can purchase several items for her new or expected baby. The items are “priced” at about 20 cents apiece. The larger items, such as cribs, car seats, and mattresses, range from 3 to 10 baby bucks. Along with the above services, the pregnancy support center offers Bible classes to women who are interested.
The nurse that is usually there was out today, but we did get to help with some things around the center. The morning was actually pretty slow so there was not much to see. The afternoon did pick up pretty well, so we were able to better see what all goes on. While we were there, we helped stock the store and since there was not a lot going on, we helped the volunteers decorate for Christmas.
Going to the pregnancy support center was a good experience. I was able to gain knowledge about a great resource in our community. If I ever need to refer anyone to this type of service, I will definitely use the pregnancy support center. They are so welcoming to new mothers. I was completely comfortable at the pregnancy support center. It was a great experience.
