From Nov. 6 to Nov. 8, Fourth-year Bachelors of Science in Nursing students (BSN) ran an information booth on campus to promote blood donor awareness week.
Claire Parkhouse, a fourth year BSN student participated in the event as part of her practicum with the Canadian Blood Services (CBS). She says that through working with CBS, she and fellow students learned that there is a need to recruit new blood donors.
“We decided that setting up info booths on the VIU campus would be a great way to access the young adult population and spread awareness about the importance of blood donation,” Parkhouse says. “Our hope is that in the near future, Canadian Blood Services can set up a mobile blood donation clinic on the VIU campus, so at this event, we also wanted to gauge interest in this idea.”
She says that giving blood is a rewarding experience, “it only takes about an hour out of your day yet the impact is so great,” Parkhouse says. “One donation can potentially save three lives—it just makes sense to donate blood.”
Parkhouse says that students interested in donating blood can visit the Canadian Blood Services website at <www.blood.ca>, which has a lot of information including how to become a blood donor, the blood donation process, volunteering with the organization, and where to find a clinic to donate.