As the world ground to a halt when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, schools had to make tough calls about how to continue educating their students.
Locally, Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria transitioned many of its students to online learning while still managing to hold skill labs and simulations for nursing students in person, with safety precautions in place. The monumental effort paid off, when 66 new nurses recently graduated, ready to serve the community, including in the fight against COVID-19.
“Training public servants is one of the core missions of our college, and that mission has never been more important,” Hancock College President Kevin Walthers said. “The well-trained and highly skilled nurses who graduate from our program are serving as frontline workers, keeping our communities safe and healthy.”
Nursing has been incredibly important for centuries, and the need for nurses to protect individuals in health-care settings has been thrust into the spotlight the past year.
“Beyond the time-honored reputation for compassion and dedication lies a highly specialized profession, which is constantly evolving to address the needs of society,” according to the American Nurses Association.
“From ensuring the most accurate diagnoses to the ongoing education of the public about critical health issues, nurses are indispensable in safeguarding public health.”
Although it may have been easier to take a break, the recent graduates from Hancock College’s Registered Nursing and Licensed Vocational Nursing program adjusted, so they could continue their education.
“A worldwide pandemic hit, and we were suddenly called to make drastic changes in how we studied, went to clinicals and lived our everyday lives,” said Christina Curry, the Registered Nursing program class president for 2020.
“While the world stopped, we showed great tenacity and continued. We persevered through the unknown because we were determined to become the next generation of nurses.”
They were able to celebrate their accomplishments at a socially distanced graduation ceremony in December and now step into a professional role that, much like their academic role, has seen sweeping changes over the last year.
For example, telehealth has become more prevalent, as medical professionals meet with patients online and over the phone to serve their health needs — and it’s likely here to stay.
“Health-care providers in the U.S. have been inching toward making more services available via telehealth for years,” according to Stat news. “But health-care leaders across the ideological spectrum agree: COVID-19 has pushed the inevitable telemedicine revolution forward by a decade, if not more.”
As for in-person care, health-care workers not only help people sickened with COVID-19 but also continue to serve people who need care for other health concerns. It is why the demand for nurses has never been greater.
“As nurses, we have the knowledge and skills to deliver the care needed in all phases of the illness trajectory, and in reassuring, informing and supporting people within communities who are frightened, worried and wanting to stay well,” according to the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
“As we have seen throughout history, nurses are well able to think outside the box, and develop creative and innovative solutions to all manner of problems, conundrums and challenges.”
The work the new nurses will do is why Hancock College was determined to help students continue in their education — and why it is proud of all they’ve accomplished.
“We cannot thank them enough for all they are doing during this challenging time,” Walthers said.
For more information about the nursing programs at Hancock College, visit hancockcollege.edu/nursing.