APSU nursing students are volunteering to administer the Covid-19 vaccination.
There are two vaccination sites for Montgomery county and one of them is operated by APSU volunteers.
The vaccination site located near campus is open to anyone, not just APSU students and faculty.
According to Lynn Fisher, the emergency manager for the location, there are people that come all the way from Nashville and surrounding areas to receive their shot.
The APSU vaccination site averages 100-110 units per day. That number is looking to double after March 30 when people start returning for their second dose.
“We’re here to support Montgomery County because it’s the right thing to do. It takes some of the burden off the Montgomery County site,” Fisher said.
Elizabeth Ewers is a senior who is majoring in Nursing. She was honored to be part of the process.
“We’re glad that we can offer this service to the community,” Ewers said.
As part of the nursing program, the students need to complete 500 volunteer hours, and the week that the students helped out at the vaccine site went toward those hours.
“You get to practice injections and patient education as well as patient interviews,” Ewers said.
This is all very important in the process of working toward their nursing degrees.
The students rotate shifts so that many get to share in this experience and help be a part of the community.
Morgan Rainer another senior in the program now has more assurance about her abilities.
“It’s allowed me to be more open with people and become more confident,” Rainer said.
Jennifer Coyle is a Clinical Coordinator for APSU’s School of Nursing, and although she wasn’t volunteering as a student, she was honored to be part of this procedure.
“I’m glad that I’m able to help in some way,” Coyle said.
This is an unusual time in our history and many people, including nursing students, will be able to reflect back and know where they were and what they did during this crisis.
Another senior in the program, Christian Cole, feels that he will have a good memory to share.
“It’s cool that we get to experience administering such a vaccine during a pandemic,” Cole said.
Ava Segal, a junior in the Nursing program, shares Cole’s sentiments.
“It’s cool getting a chance to get to do this during a pandemic and being able to look back on it,” Segal said.
