CVTC nursing students assist with COVID vaccinations

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Chippewa Valley Technical College Nursing students are gaining experience in direct patient contact by helping at an Eau Claire City-County Health Department COVID-19 vaccination clinic during the spring semester.

One group of eight, first-year students recently completed two weeks of service at the clinic, which is being held at Eau Claire North High School.

“We rotated around stations,” said Savannha Spath, a 2017 Cadott High School graduate and a second-semester Nursing student. “I took temperatures, administered the vaccine and scheduled people for their second doses.”

Second-year students are continuing to help and more groups of students will soon be joining the effort, according to Associate Dean of Nursing Gina Bloczynski.

“Participation in the vaccination clinic was a clinical learning opportunity for these students,” Bloczynski said. “The students were paired with the vaccination clinic opportunity based on their course and clinical schedule. Students will continue to help at the clinic through the spring semester, and some will be able to help even after school is over in May on a volunteer basis.”

Nursing students are required to complete a certain number of hours in clinical settings like hospitals, nursing homes and clinics as part of their training.