Kent State nursing students must complete a clinical requirement to receive their degree from the university. With COVID-19 vaccinations available, some clinicals require immunization, while others do not.
Recently, the new COVID-19 booster has been made available. With any new vaccination, hesitancy is common for individuals who fear long-term side effects.
“It may be [the] first of what will become an annual COVID-19 shot that gets revamped every year, similar to the seasonal influenza vaccine,” said director of NYU Langone Vaccine Center Dr. Mark Mulligan.
With the new COVID booster now available, medical professionals globally are curious about its safety.
Nursing students’ vaccination records are a significant factor in picking their clinical.
“It is up to each clinical agency to establish that criteria for those requirements,” said Ruth Pittman, administrative secretary in the Office of Student Service in Kent State’s College of Nursing.
Pittman explained when each nursing student registers for a class, they also discover what clinical they will attend. From there, the student checks their given clinical’s COVID requirements.
If a student is not vaccinated and they get paired with a clinical that requires it, they can request to move. However, it is not a guarantee they can get a spot in a clinical where the vaccine is optional.
Isabella Columbe, a junior nursing student at Kent State, experienced the clinical process. Her first clinical was during her sophomore year at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.
There, she took care of normal care patients. She was required to submit all of her vaccinations for this location. At the time, Kent State required everyone going into the hospital setting to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
This year looked different for Columbe. She only got the first and second COVID-19 vaccine but never received the booster. Now, she resides at the Cleveland Clinic in Hillcrest.
The Hillcrest location does not require the COVID-19 booster, altering the requirements for Columbe.
“I’m glad that I don’t have to continuously get [the COVID-19 boosters] before we know the long-term causes of it.” she said. “I feel like the vaccine is very new.”
Columbe said she is “glad that [she] did not have to take an extra step just to be a nursing student.”
Columbe went on to add she does in fact wear a mask. In COVID-19 rooms especially, she wears a special mask to stay cautious.
Sarah Petrovich is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
