California Baptist University nursing students have been volunteering at local hospitals to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. According to a CBU press release, more than 70 students have volunteered at four different hospitals: Parkview Community Hospital, Riverside Medical Clinic, Corona Regional Medical Center and Redlands Community Hospital.
Dr. Karen Bradley, dean of the College of Nursing, has aided in the distribution of vaccines to various distribution centers.
She said in a CBU press release that she enjoys truly helping the community and is glad that the College of Nursing is doing its part to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The College of Nursing is resolved to be part of the solution,” Bradley said. “We are reaching out to student nurses for volunteers, and faculty have been volunteering. We are always engaged in the community but we definitely feel like now we can help.”
In the same press release, Bradley also said the students enjoy helping people protect themselves against COVID-19. She observed the passion in the students for providing health service.
“I think that is a good learning opportunity for the students to witness that level of public health and health promotion,” Bradley said. “In the students, you see a spirit of encouragement and hope and being part of the solution. They want to do this.”
Nikizen Boco, junior nursing major, spoke about her experiences with volunteering at vaccine clinics. She noticed the immediate shift in expression after the vaccine of her patients.
“My experience has been more or so bittersweet, as I give vaccines because usually after giving them the shot, they seem to have an aura of being reassured about their safety against COVID-19, albeit not being 100% safe,” Boco said. “A moment that stuck out to me was that people would just be surprised at how fast and easy the vaccines take. Sometimes they did not even realize that the shot was already finished. It seemed like it did not live up to the ‘hype’ in their minds of getting the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Angie Cunanan, sophomore nursing major, applauded her fellow nursing students involved in the distribution process.
She also said that she now recognizes the things she is learning go much further than the four walls of the classroom and into the real world.
“For healthcare workers, it is really an all-hands-on-deck kind of effort,” Cunanan said. “A lot of people administering the COVID-19 vaccine right now are volunteers. It is awesome that CBU students are contributing their efforts as well. It is great that we are applying our clinical skills to this far too real cause.”
All adults are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine as of May 1.
