The following announcement was provided by MassBay Community College:
MassBay Community College Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) and Practical Nursing (PN) students recently volunteered with the Watertown Health Department in administering COVID-19 vaccinations. Fifteen ADN students and 11 PN students assisted with vaccine administration and with the registration process for hundreds of residents who received their COVID-19 vaccine.
“Nursing students are needed to administer vaccines and provide vaccine education in our communities,” said MassBay Director of Nursing, Andrea Bresnahan. “Being part of the COVID-19 vaccination effort is a rare opportunity for students to directly learn about population health, participate in public health program, gain clinical experience, and ultimately save lives.”
The Watertown Health Department vaccination clinics that the student’s participated in were held the first and second weeks in February at Perkins School for the Blind for both students and staff and at the Watertown Police Department for people over 75 years of age. According to the Mass.gov website’s daily vaccination report for February 11, 2021, more than 987,000 people in Massachusetts have been vaccinated for COVID-19.
“It was a great experience being able to be part of the vaccination rollout for that age group,” said MassBay Practical Nursing student, Lizbeth Sanchez, of Medfield, MA. “I learned a lot about the process, while being able to assist in all areas of the vaccination procedures. The people were very nice and grateful to have us there volunteering our time to administer the vaccine for them.”
“I was excited to be able to help vaccinate the elderly community to keep them healthy,” said MassBay Practical Nursing student, Auchiana Perryman, of Waltham, MA. “It was really humbling to have people thank you. I currently work as a CNA at a local hospice care facility, so being able to assist in keeping people safe makes me more excited to become a nurse.”
MassBay Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program and the Practical Nursing program have both been ranked as the #1 nursing programs in Massachusetts by two different nursing advocacy organizations. In March 2020, MassBay’s ADN Program was ranked #1 in Massachusetts by RegisteredNursing.org and in August 2020, the group PracticalNursing.org named MassBay’s Practical Nursing Program the #1 Program in Massachusetts by PracticalNursing.org. Students in the nursing programs study on the Framingham campus.
To learn more about MassBay visit www.massbay.edu