School of Nursing faculty and students at the COVID-19 vaccination drive.
Over a period of six days, faculty and students from the UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing have performed more than 10,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to the Orange County community.
The vaccination effort was led by UCI Medical Center. Each weekend, they volunteer their time to give vaccines, directions and important information to residents 65 and up.
Students receive important experience
As a member of the leadership team, Clinical Professor Susanne Phillips, DNP, spearheaded the coordination of nursing faculty volunteers. Associate Clinical Professor Pre-Licensure Program Director Leanne Burke, EdD, recruited nursing student volunteers.
Moreover, nursing students staff the post-vaccination monitoring area, providing vaccine and COVID-19 information, talk with the patients, and watch for anaphylaxis or injection reactions.
Phillips also coordinated with the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences to teach nursing students how to draw up the Pfizer vaccine.
Leadership and teamwork through pandemic
Nursing faculty have been true leaders for the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phillips was critical in the setup of the three COVID-19 test sites, where she and other nursing faculty have performed nearly 11,000 tests in Orange, Irvine and Santa Ana.
The vaccination effort is just the latest example of the life-changing collaborations taking place at UCI.
“This has been a truly interdisciplinary experience for our faculty as well as nursing students.”
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