Do You See Me: Education On Human Trafficking Victims for Future Health Care Providers

Abstract

By Meggie O'hara, Nursing; Taylor Hopkins, Nursing ; Megan Surovjak, Nursing

Advisor: Kate York

Presentation ID: AM_A51

Abstract: Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to manipulate and control another human being for the purpose of exploitation. Globally, there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking, and in a recent study, it was found that 87.8% of trafficking survivors came in contact with a healthcare professional while enslaved, yet were not identified. The purpose of this project is to educate nursing students on: 1) how to identify and treat victims of human trafficking in both the health care and community setting; 2) recognizing the signs of potential trafficking situations; and 3) ways to identify a perpetrator. Through the use of a PowerPoint presentation and interactive case study, 90 third year nursing students will be taught characteristics of trafficking victims and perpetrators, as well as the mental and physical health implications impacting treatment. An interactive case study approach will be used throughout the presentation to assess students' knowledge of human trafficking. After the session, a post-presentation survey will be given. Data from the post-presentation survey will be collected to evaluate the effectiveness of the education session. Results of the evaluation and lessons learned will be highlighted. Keywords: Human Trafficking, Identification, Education