Knox County Career Center grad one of first in county to receive COVID-19 vaccine
As a frontline worker and resident of Knox County, Kristi Allen is excited to gain immunization as she continues to help others through the pandemic.
Kristi Allen first became passionate about healthcare when she attended Knox County Career Center, enrolled in the health technologies program. There she received her State Tested Nurse Aide license. Immediately upon graduation she was employed at the Ohio Eastern Star Home in Mount Vernon where she continued working as she earned her nursing degree from Ashland University. Now, she works in the emergency department at Wexner Medical Center where she has helped care for some of the individuals most gravely affected by the symptoms of COVID-19.
Allen recently spoke to Knox Pages about her experiences on the frontline and getting the vaccine. As one of seven residents of Knox County to receive the vaccination during the first deployment, Allen is happy to be at the forefront of the eventual end to the pandemic and to hopefully encourage other residents to get the vaccine when it becomes more widely available, "I think it's going to be the hardest part of getting people vaccinated is going to be in rural areas, because they have their set ways. And I feel blessed that I can educate Knox County, because I love my county — I love Mount Vernon and I love my new hometown of Fredericktown — and I want everybody to be healthy, I want everybody to go back to normal."
Allen expressed that she feels fortunate to be a nurse and to be able to help her community during the pandemic, "I'm very blessed with my job. I get a lot of satisfaction every day, taking care of people. It's hard sometimes, and it's also very rewarding. The past year has been probably the most interesting of my nursing career, but I'm gonna probably have to say, it's probably gonna be the most rewarding to me, after this is all over. It might be the most stressful, but it's also probably gonna be the most rewarding."
When she received the first of the two doses needed of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Allen said she did not feel the shot at all and is eager to receive the next dose January 8. Upon full immunization, Allen plans to visit family and is most looking forward to hugging her parents.