Nursing Students from Florida Southern College Help Administer COVID-19 Vaccinations at Local Clinics

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Mar 18, 2021, 15:03 ET

LAKELAND, Fla., March 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Juniors and seniors from Florida Southern College's School of Nursing and Health Sciences are helping to administer coronavirus vaccines at Fontaine Gills Family YMCA in Lakeland, Fla., through a community partnership with Lakeland Regional Health and the Polk County Department of Health. Working eight-hour shifts on selected dates, the students have assisted with the operation of vaccination clinics by giving injections, handling intake and screenings, and processing paperwork. Although COVID-19 disrupted many internships and in-person clinical experiences that are required for seniors to complete their final-semester nursing practicum course, 17 of FSC's senior nursing students are gaining between 30 and 40 hours of experience at the clinics, making it possible for them to meet the required 120 hours for their practicum course.

Aubrey Valinote of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, a nursing student in Florida Southern College’s Class of 2021, is one of many in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program who have assisted at local COVID-19 clinics. Valinote and the other students are not yet licensed as registered nurses and do not meet the criteria to receive the vaccination as healthcare providers, said Professor Cheryl Conley: “Yet, they show up for clinic with smiles on their faces, ready and willing to serve the public."

About Florida Southern College

Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. It maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio; is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning; and boasts 30 NCAA Division II national championships. It is ranked among the top 10 Regional Universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report in its 2021 "Best Colleges" guide, and is included in The Princeton Review's 2021 "386 Best Colleges" guide, the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 2021," and Forbes magazine's "America's Top Colleges." Home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC was twice named "Most Beautiful Campus in the Nation" by The Princeton Review, and one of the nation's "Ten College Campuses with the Best Architecture" by Architectural Digest. Connect with Florida Southern College.

SOURCE Florida Southern College