DHCON Students Among First to Administer COVID Vaccine
Pioneer spirit brings students to the vanguard of national battle against pandemic.
When the much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Connecticut, students from the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing were among the first to administer it to health-care workers on the front lines at Danbury Hospital.
During Sacred Heart’s winter break, several senior nursing students participated in the vaccination initiative, assessing individuals, administering the vaccine and monitoring recipients for side effects. “This is part of their public health experience. It is a wonderful, hands-on participation and fosters a genuine understanding of what goes into protecting the public’s health and nurses’ critical role in that,” said Dean Mary Alice Donius.
The students, who have been working at Danbury Hospital as part of their clinical rotation, completed an orientation to prepare to administer the vaccine properly. In addition to monitoring health-care workers, first responders and patients over 75 who have been vaccinated, the students are developing informational materials to help people better understand the vaccine, its potential side effects and the critical protection it provides.
“We are in the middle of a pandemic and cases are rising faster than we can keep up with…so, you need to put that in the forefront of your mind and focus on how much good our work is going to do,” said senior Michaela Christie, who administered both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to prioritized health-care workers
Fellow student Nicole Blanco added, “It was an amazing learning experience and a wonderful opportunity as a nursing student to be able to administer the COVID vaccines to front-line health-care workers, because after everything they’ve done, I had an opportunity to give back.”
SHU has had a longstanding relationship with Danbury Hospital, which is part of the Nuvance Healthcare system. Many students in the tri-state region volunteered to spend their winter break completing this public-rotation. “This is actual public-health nursing practice. They are affecting change; they see it as an opportunity to have a positive effect on not just the community, but the nation,” Donius said.
“They are part of the team, not just there as observers; they are doing something important and making a difference,” said Heather, assistant professor and program director of first professional degree and second degree accelerated nursing programs.
“I’m proud that I’ve administered around 300 vaccines so far to front-line workers and first responders,” said nursing student Bryn Weidel. “It’s a great feeling, knowing that I helped many people gain hope for the future. It will be amazing to look back on this experience and say to others that I was one of the nurses who helped with the COVID-19 vaccine administration.”
“Having SHU nursing students working as one of the primary groups in the Nuvance vaccination clinic for Danbury Hospital has been instrumental in enabling the hospital clinical teams to continue to care for critically ill inpatients. The students come into the clinic daily with fresh, positive attitudes and are happy to be able to help with this extremely important vaccination. We are very grateful to have them as part of the Nuvance team during this unprecedented time!” said Deborah Hewitt, assistant vice president of nursing professional development at Nuvance.
Read more articles on this subject: