Members of Lambda Kappa Sigma (LKS) professional pharmacy fraternity at Wilkes University volunteered their time on a recent Saturday afternoon to help Girl Scouts from the Wyoming Valley earn their first aid badges.
The Wilkes LKS chapter has hosted this event annually since 2015, though last spring’s session was cancelled due to COVID-19. This year, the chapter decided to go virtual with the first aid badge training.
Organized by student event coordinator Kiersten Wiedwald, the event showcased the expertise of 21 pharmacy students. Faculty and alumni from the University’s Nesbitt School of Pharmacy served as preceptors, ensuring that all medical information was appropriate and accurate.
The group set up and presented stations covering a variety of first aid techniques including proper use of an EpiPen, inhaler and ACE bandage, as well as the treatment of common outdoor injuries.
The pharmacy students discussed drug-related breathing emergencies and showed Scouts how to take a pulse and place someone in the recovery position.
They also showed items typically found in a first aid kit and an ambulance, and talked about making sure a scene is safe, providing care and seeking help by finding an adult or calling 911.
To preserve the hands-on experience of the first aid training, LKS prepared and distributed goodie bags for the event. Each bag included an EpiPen, Respimat inhaler, Band Aids, gauze, alcohol pads, triple antibiotic ointment, ACE bandages and stickers.
More than 60 Junior, Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts attended the virtual event.
“LKS hosts this event every year to give back to the community, promote sisterhood and, most importantly, encourage young women to realize their potential and capabilities not just within the community during an emergency situation, but also within themselves,” says Letitia Warunek, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Wilkes.
