COVID-19 has changed the entire world in many ways. People have had to get used to wearing masks, online school, small gatherings and more. These all affect the overall morale of people. Schools are turning to extreme measures in order to prepare their students for the outside world. Nicole Quinn (23) and Kayla Noble (20) are both nursing students preparing to join the workforce. They have studied both before the pandemic and during.
Quinn began school in 2016 through a program offered by Dutchess Community College in New York. She graduated in 2018. After that she started the nursing program at Columbia Green in New York. She began in September 2021. She has noticed differences in her school during this time.
Quinn beams to her mother on her first day back at nursing school in 2021.
“Our experiences are limited in the clinical setting because many hospital policies are rapidly changing as the pandemic evolves. For example, we have a clinical rotation in the operating room this semester. However, all elective surgeries have been canceled. So some students are left with a free day instead of being able to watch surgeries.” Quinn was able to be in a nursing home many times a week and learned that way. Even though her education changed, she still feels her school is providing her with many opportunities to learn on the job.
Noble began school at Western Connecticut State University for eight months before moving on to Jersey College in Florida. The largest difference she notes is that everything is connected back to COVID. “Because it’s so relevant, professors are connecting all of their curriculum to COVID. They are asking their students how everything they’ve learned can be used when dealing with COVID patients,” Noble said. Prior to the pandemic, professors taught with a wider approach that helped her with more scenarios.
