GREENEVILLE – Tusculum University nursing students are joining the team of volunteers in Sullivan County to assist with coronavirus vaccinations, including injecting community members.
Senior Bachelor of Science in nursing majors are scheduled to participate for the first time Friday, Feb. 12. These students plan to assist every Friday for the rest of the spring semester with any task associated with the vaccination process. This week, they are slated to inject first and second doses of the vaccine.
“We welcome the opportunity to support the vaccination effort in East Tennessee,” said Dr. Susan Wall, interim dean of Tusculum’s College of Nursing. “To be civically engaged in a process that can help people develop immunity, reduce the potential for coronavirus infections and save lives is a perfect role for an aspiring nurse. We are grateful to assist the community at such an important juncture in the battle against the coronavirus.”
Tusculum students, under the supervision of Carol Hicks, an assistant professor of nursing, will serve as volunteers for the Sullivan County Regional Health Department at the Bristol Dragway. The College of Nursing will send as many as five students each Friday depending on the health department’s needs.
In addition to injections, students might be involved in other elements of the vaccination process, such as screenings, Hicks said. She said the speedway assignment will be an excellent way for students to build more experience with injections and observation of side effects and reactions.
Assisting with the vaccination effort provides another way for these students to demonstrate civic engagement, which is a major component of Tusculum’s mission statement. Hicks said the students will also learn how a public health agency implements state and federal programs.
“When I emailed the students to inform them about participating in these vaccinations, they were excited,” Hicks said. “They thought it would be a great experience. Having observed the global and regional impact of the coronavirus, we are honored to help with the vaccination process and glad our students will contribute to people’s health.”
For more information about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.