Nursing students now allowed to work with COVID-19 patients

by ABBY KNOWLES

Staff Writer

Starting this semester, the joint UMW and Germanna Community College nursing program is allowing their students to work hands-on with COVID-19 patients while they complete their clinicals. 

Director of Nursing Dr. Janet Atarthi-Dugan believes that the school is doing the right thing by allowing their students to have hands-on work with COVID patients because, as nurses, they will not have the option to forgo working with COVID patients. She said that the program has received emails from parents who are concerned about the policy.

“It is a disservice not to prepare students while we have the chance because they will have to take care of these patients once they start practicing,” she said. “Students have an experienced clinical educator with them while doing clinicals to safeguard them and the patients they care for.” 

A nurse for over 20 years, Atarthi-Dugan said that “nurses are and have always been at the front lines of healthcare; they care for patients exposed to Ebola, HIV, COVID-19 and some diseases we don’t even know names of yet.” 

She continued, “Rather than create this environment where we aren’t going to have [students] take over patients and not take the safest route, that is just not realistic. We want you [students] to take a variety of patients and make sure you feel comfortable in personal protective equipment.”

When nursing students are working closely with COVID patients, they are required to wear N95 masks, gowns, gloves and goggles, according to junior nursing major Hannah Sexton. “In my opinion, that’s safer than what students are wearing on a day to day basis here on campus and through other interactions,” she said.

Nursing students are also required to be fully vaccinated against COVID with a booster shot, and “if they refuse, they cannot be admitted into the program and work in hospitals,” said Atarthi-Dugan.

Sophomore nursing major Ally Grabarczyk expressed some concerns when asked about working with COVID patients.

“I don’t think it is necessary for these students to be working with those patients,” said Grabarczyk. “When you first start out as a nurse you have your nursing residency, so if you are working in a unit with those patients you will have plenty of time to learn.”

Sexton feels that the experience is important with the ongoing pandemic. 

“I think it’s a good opportunity for nursing students since in just a few months we will be working with patients who have COVID or other highly infectious diseases,” said Sexton. 

However, Sexton said she understands the concerns some students have with this adjustment “due to possibly exposing roommates and people we spend time with on a daily basis.”

Germanna Community College works with UMW for the 1+2+1 Dual Degrees in Nursing Plan where students can take classes at both Germanna and UMW while getting hands-on experience in nursing. After four years, they graduate with two degrees: an associate of applied science and a bachelor of science in nursing. 

“I think it was smart on the college’s part because there’s no better way to learn than physically caring for patients,” said Sexton. “There is only so much we can learn in our textbooks.”