NERS NEWS — Faculty of Nursing students from Universitas Airlangga participating in the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) Student Exchange Program, together with students from the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro, carried out the Community Empowerment Application (APM) II program in Banyumanik District, Semarang City. The activity, supervised by Dr. Ns. Meira Erawati, S.Kep., M.Si.Med., aimed to improve community health through promotive and preventive approaches by encouraging active community participation.
One of the APM II activities was maternal and child health screening as an early detection effort to assess community health conditions. The students collaboratively conducted health assessments, basic health examinations, and identified various health issues encountered during the activity. The screening results then served as the basis for developing health education tailored to the needs and conditions of the community.
As a follow-up to the community empowerment program, the students also developed two health education booklets covering preschool children’s nutrition and health education materials based on the community’s needs identified through the assessment. These booklets were designed as easy-to-understand health promotion materials and became one of the outputs of the APM II Program, which is planned to be submitted for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) registration.
Through the APM II program, the students gained valuable experience in integrating nursing knowledge with community empowerment practices through inter-university collaboration. In addition to strengthening their critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills, the activity also reinforced their roles as educators and agents of change in improving community health. The implementation of APM II also supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Through this activity, the students are expected to further develop their professional competencies while making meaningful contributions to society through sustainable promotive, preventive, and community health empowerment initiatives.
Writer: Fania Layla Sabrina
