Pellissippi State Community College students volunteer to administer COVID-19 vaccine

Pellissippi State Community College posted a volunteer sign-up sheet in November for nursing students to administer COVID-19 vaccines and within five minutes of posting, 50 students had signed on. The vaccine distribution began at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and at LeConte Medical Center on December 19. The students who volunteered were eager to contribute to the effort to end the COVID-19 pandemic and for the learning experience.

PSCC administrators were pleased with the speed and eagerness with which nursing students signed up to volunteer. In a news release, Pellissippi State Community College Nursing Dean, Angela Lunsford relayed what she shared with the student volunteers in an email, "I immediately let all of the College administration team know what an amazing and wonderful group of young nurses we have in our program. You are part of something historic that you will tell your grandchildren about. You should be very proud!"

The distribution and administration of the vaccine gave the volunteers a first-hand perspective on the way vaccines are handled and injected. They saw that because of the way the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine must be stored in very cold temperatures, the pharmacists were only able to prepare six syringes at a time. The nursing students then injected the vaccine into the deltoid muscles of hospital frontline workers including housekeeping staff, cafeteria workers, and nurses. While some of the nursing students admitted they were nervous administering shots to professional nurses, the staff were appreciative. Lunsford noted, "The staff at LeConte said they couldn't thank the students enough, that it would have taken double the time without them there to help."

Some of the volunteers shared what motivated them to volunteer for the vaccine distribution. Keiara Tate spoke of her personal experiences with COVID-19, "I knew I had to volunteer to be a part of this experience because I wanted to be part of the solution to this problem that has greatly affected not only my family, but the entire world. I have had two family members who have passed due to COVID and many others who have been ill due to this virus. I am looking forward to ushering in hope and a cure." Another student, Yesenia Perez, felt she had something useful to contribute, "I want to be that person who gives back to the community—and being bilingual, I can help people who come into the hospital because I can understand them."