{"id":13009,"date":"2025-11-06T09:45:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&#038;p=13009"},"modified":"2025-11-06T09:45:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:45:52","slug":"uw-oshkosh-nursing-students-mark-20-years-learning-through-poverty-simulation","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-oshkosh-nursing-students-mark-20-years-learning-through-poverty-simulation\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Oshkosh nursing students mark 20 years learning through poverty simulation"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_13011\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13011\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/10\/OSH_nursing-poverty-sim-01-threestudentsnecklaces-1024x675-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13011\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/10\/OSH_nursing-poverty-sim-01-threestudentsnecklaces-1024x675-1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Nursing students Justin Gmach, Anika Roush and Aggie Rieder role-play as they \u201csell\u201d jewelry\u201d at a mock pawn shop as part of a poverty simulation activity for all UWO traditional senior nursing students.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/10\/OSH_nursing-poverty-sim-01-threestudentsnecklaces-1024x675-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/10\/OSH_nursing-poverty-sim-01-threestudentsnecklaces-1024x675-1-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2025\/10\/OSH_nursing-poverty-sim-01-threestudentsnecklaces-1024x675-1-768x506.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13011\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nursing students Justin Gmach, Anika Roush and Aggie Rieder role-play as they \u201csell\u201d jewelry\u201d at a mock pawn shop as part of a poverty simulation activity for all UWO traditional senior nursing students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Reeve Memorial Union ballroom was buzzing with activity on a recent morning as UW-Oshkosh nursing students hustled from table to table. As part of a simulation, some stood in line at the bank. Others pleaded with a landlord or tried to arrange childcare. A few hurried back to their \u201chomes\u201d clutching bus passes or overdue bills.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The stress was palpable. For three hours, 83 students weren\u2019t nursing majors, they were role-playing families experiencing poverty and trying to survive a month\u2019s worth of expenses and emergencies.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_128525\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-128525 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/93\/heidi-hansen-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"149\" height=\"187\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-128525\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-128525\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Heidi Hansen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">It\u2019s an exercise every traditional undergraduate nursing student at UW-Oshkosh completes. For the past 20 years, the School of Nursing and Health Professions, has run Community Action Poverty Simulation, an interactive program that helps students experience the complexities of economic insecurity.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The purpose of the exercise, said nursing instructor and two-time UWO alumna Heidi Hansen \u201892, \u201812, is to help future nurses understand how life circumstances shape health.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cOur goal is to help future nurses understand the ways in which social determinants of health influence health outcomes and to prepare them to view their patients in a holistic manner,\u201d Hansen said. \u201cThis experience allows students to see the complexities of economic insecurity and to consider how their own attitudes and biases can shape patient care.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Hansen knows the power of the simulation firsthand. In 2012, she was a nursing student at UWO, walking the same path. She remembers the lessons vividly.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_128527\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-128527\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/93\/featurepic-02-alyssa-smith-595x336.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"271\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-128527\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-128527\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alyssa Smith participates in a long-standing exercise, Community Action Poverty<br \/>\nSimulation, that is mandatory for UWO senior nursing students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThis exercise helps our students see patients as whole people, not just their medical conditions,\u201d Hansen said. \u201cThe empathy they build here will serve them every day of their careers.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Community Action Poverty Simulation is built around detailed scenarios. Each \u201cfamily\u201d receives a packet outlining their situation: income, bills, jobs, and challenges such as childcare needs, medical issues or transportation barriers. Students step into those roles and do their best to survive four 15-minute \u201cweeks\u201d of living in poverty.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_128526\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-128526 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/93\/polly-anderson-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"148\" height=\"185\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-128526\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-128526\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Polly Anderson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Around the ballroom, nursing instructors and five nursing students took on roles as bankers, utility collectors, childcare workers, employers and social service providers. There were also a quick cash loan officer and a pawn shop operator. Students must interact with them to pay bills, buy groceries, attend school and respond to unexpected crises.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Polly Anderson, simulation coordinator in the School of Nursing and Health Professions, has been co-facilitating the program since 2008. She said the lessons extend far beyond what people often think of as nursing skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cNursing is a lot more than skills. We deal with people and people\u2019s stories, and those stories contribute to what their health outcomes actually are,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cMaybe 90% of health outcomes have to do with the way a person lives their life. This simulation brings that reality into focus for students.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_128530\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-128530\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/93\/orthinwheelchairandnodoiny-595x396.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"359\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-128530\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-128530\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In a simulated exercise, Taliya Orth, seated in a wheelchair, and Lily Nadolny, play a married<br \/>\ncouple navigating disability, language barriers and raising children in poverty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Anderson said feedback from the nursing students varies. Some students have lived in poverty themselves, while others come from privileged backgrounds. Bringing them together, she said, creates a shared learning experience that\u2019s both eye-opening and deeply personal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cBringing them all into the same room brings a very unique dynamic,\u201d she said. \u201cIf students see it as more than just an assignment, it can really influence every corner of their life, both personally and professionally.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For many students, the exercise is stressful in ways they didn\u2019t expect. Senior I nursing students Taliya Orth of Neenah and Lily Nadolny of Milwaukee played a married couple navigating disability, language barriers and raising children. Orth\u2019s character was a 52-year-old father with mobility issues, who uses a wheelchair and has diabetes, while Nadolny\u2019s was a mother with limited English working full time.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cAt the start, I looked around at all the stations, the supermarket, the bank, the public school, social services, my wife\u2019s job and tried to think through our priorities. What do I really need here to get my family to survive?\u201d Orth said.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Nadolny said the experience gave her a new perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cBeing the spouse of someone with mobility challenges was eye-opening,\u201d she said. \u201cAt first, I was so focused on going to work and making money that I neglected my husband\u2019s needs. But later we worked together and I wheeled him everywhere. We managed to pay all our bills.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_128531\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-128531\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/93\/2-Nigerian-Nursing-students-595x447.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"522\" height=\"392\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-128531\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-128531\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nursing students Adaeze Ibe-Nwagwu and Rita Nwaogaraku, said the exercise made them<br \/>\naware of challenges people face and the need to connect them with resources.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Orth added that the simulation highlighted tough choices families face every day. \u201cPeople really do have to decide between insulin for diabetes and food for their family, or paying utilities versus the mortgage,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was a lot of stress and pressure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Nadolny connected the lesson directly to her future career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThis experience showed me how important it is to consider what brought someone to where they are,\u201d she said. \u201cPatients may be upset, but they\u2019re not upset with me personally. They may just be in a difficult place. I need to meet them where they\u2019re at.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Instructor Hansen said students often leave with a clearer understanding of why patients may not follow medical advice or keep appointments.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cStudents report that they feel they\u2019ll be more empathetic in their future practice,\u201d Hansen said. \u201cThey start to appreciate why clients may not fill their prescriptions or how transportation barriers impact well-being.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Nursing students Adaeze Ibe-Nwagwu and Rita Nwaogaraku, both from Lagos, Nigeria, said the experience gave them a new perspective.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWe often overlook how difficult it is for some people to get by every day,\u201d Nwagwu said. \u201cThis simulation made us aware of different people\u2019s situations and how important it is to connect them with resources.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Nwaogaraku added: \u201cIt opened my eyes to social determinants of health. As a nurse, I need to understand that and help connect people to resources, like food pantries, that they may not even know exist.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Anderson, who runs simulations throughout the nursing curriculum, said the poverty simulation is one of the most impactful.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cHonestly, I think this is one of the most meaningful exercises we offer at both a personal and professional level,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not healthcare specific. Any profession could benefit from learning to put yourself in someone else\u2019s shoes.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Hansen agrees. More than a decade after her own turn in the simulation, she said the lessons still resonate.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWhen you\u2019ve felt that stress, even in a simulation, you can\u2019t forget it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt changes the way you see people, and that\u2019s what makes you a better nurse.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The takeaway, Hansen said, is simple.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cHealth care isn\u2019t just about treating illness,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about understanding the lives behind the patients we serve.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Learn more:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/nhp\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Study nursing at UWO<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Written by Grace Lim<\/p>\n<p>Link to original story: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/128532\/uw-oshkosh-nursing-students-mark-20-years-learning-through-poverty-simulation\/\">https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/128532\/uw-oshkosh-nursing-students-mark-20-years-learning-through-poverty-simulation\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Reeve Memorial Union ballroom was buzzing with activity on a recent morning as UW-Oshkosh nursing students hustled from table to table. As part of a simulation, some stood in line at the bank. Others pleaded with a landlord or tried to arrange childcare. A few hurried back to their \u201chomes\u201d clutching bus passes or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[94],"story_category":[147],"class_list":["post-13009","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-oshkosh","story_category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13009"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}