Baker Students Get Real-World Community Nursing Experience
On February 11, about 50 students in Baker's Community Nursing course started administering COVID vaccines and will do so through the end of the semester in May. The vaccinations are taking place at the Stormont Vail Health COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic, located at the Stormont Vail Events Center in Topeka.
"Students in the communities class not only learn how to improve the health of our local communities but also of the United States and globally. Learning about pandemics, both our current COVID-19 pandemic and past pandemics, are a part of the Community Nursing curriculum," said Barb Sollner, MSN, BS, RN, School of Nursing assistant professor. "We try to bring as much real experience into our clinicals as we can. This is a really good experience to see how the system works."
Plans also are being made for the students to assist with vaccinations for the Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health Department.
"Nurses have learned that to care for our communities, we need to work outside the hospital walls," Sollner said. "Nurses are uniquely qualified to help clients improve their health in the community setting. Administering vaccines is a great way to do that."
Baker's School of Nursing is affiliated with Stormont Vail Health in Topeka, which has received Magnet recognition for its nursing practice.
Carol Perry, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Stormont Vail, said sending students into the field to administer vaccines was an important step in preparing them for future nursing careers.
"We want our students out there on the front lines, working with expert nurses so they are fully prepared to step into their own careers," Perry said.
About Stormont Vail Health: Stormont Vail Health is a nonprofit integrated health system that has served the health care needs of Kansas for more than 130 years. Stormont Vail has been recognized as a Magnet® organization since 2009 by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. It is composed of Stormont Vail Hospital, a 586-bed acute care hospital, and Cotton O'Neil Clinic, a multi-specialty physician group with more than 500 providers, including more than 250 physicians. Nearly 5,300 employees provide care and support services for patients in the hospital and 35 other locations, including the Cotton O'Neil Heart Center, Cancer Center, Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, Digestive Health Center, Pediatrics clinics and ten regional primary care clinics. Stormont Vail Health is committed to its mission of improving the health of the community by being a national leader in providing compassionate, high quality and efficient integrated care through collaboration that results in a healthier community. For more information about Stormont Vail and Cotton O'Neil, visit stormontvail.org. For breaking news and videos, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Baker University: Founded in 1858 as the first university in Kansas, Baker is a private institution that educates traditional and nontraditional students through small classes, innovative instructors, and rigorous course work. The university is home to four schools: College of Arts and Sciences, School of Nursing, School of Education, and School of Professional and Graduate Studies. Baker offers undergraduate through doctoral programs. Visit bakerU.edu.
