VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Inside Old Dominion University’s nursing skills lab, practice makes perfect. But lately, students are sharpening their skills outside the classroom.
“Really excited to be part of ending the pandemic,” said junior Kristina Ward-Carriles.
On Saturday, Old Dominion University students will assist Sentara Healthcare in giving out 5,000 second-dose vaccinations in Norfolk and Hampton.
Ward-Carriles and her peers put dozens of COVID vaccine shots into the arms of real people last month.
“It’s rare that you get to do that many vaccines in one sitting,” Ward-Carriles said. “I guess after a couple of them we all felt like professionals.”
ODU is helping Sentara Healthcare put on mass vaccination clinics.
“We worked the first vaccination clinic on January 30, and vaccinated over 5,000 people,” said Nursing Chair Dr. Karen Karlowicz. “We were part of the group. It was long hours, but it was really an enjoyable exciting experience.”
Karlowicz said students will volunteer as long as it takes.
“Old Dominion is one of hundreds of schools across the country that have made a pledge to participate in the COVID-19 vaccination effort,” Karlowicz said.
Faculty is also lending a hand through Virginia’s Medical Reserve Corps. Corps officials said they currently have more than 30,000 volunteers from across the state, and about 2,000 are vaccinators.
“I give vaccines when I can work it around my schedule,” said Clinical Associate Professor Janice Hawkins.
Hawkins also supervises students at clinics. She said giving injections is a basic skill they learn in year one.
“It’s really not a hard skill, but you have to learn how to learn things up,” Hawkins said. “You have to learn how to interact with patients.”
Volunteering is hard for students to squeeze in between study sessions. But, for many, it’s a historic opportunity they wouldn’t miss.
“The time is worth it to help the community and help everyone in this pandemic,” Ward-Carriles said.