Fourth-year Ryerson nursing students on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic

In a year, unlike any other, innovation and collaboration have been vital at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing (DCSN), which has included donating PPE and hospital equipment early in the pandemic, and lately, an increase in applications to nursing school. (external link, opens in new window)  It has also meant an evolving collaboration to develop new practical placements so nursing students can meet hospitals’ current needs and their educational objectives. Practicum placements exist throughout the nursing education program. They are part of the process of maintaining the much-needed supply of fully trained nursing graduates that play such an essential role in our health care systems.  

“This is a new, and unique, collaboration with Humber River Hospital (HRH) (external link, opens in new window) . We have nursing students administering COVID-19 vaccines. Additionally, we have students filling key roles in staffing COVID-19 testing sites,” said Susana Neves-Silva, manager, Central Placement Office and Simulation, DCSN. “If you are getting a COVID-19 test during the week at a major Toronto hospital, the test is probably administered by a DCSN student, under a preceptor supervision model.”  

“When Derek Hutchinson, director of professional practice at HRH, called and said they needed 64 students to be ready to open a vaccination clinic in two weeks, we had the fourth-year students ready and able to help fill this need,” said Neves-Silva. “Our students were able to step in and help alleviate some of the stress in the system, delivering this important program.”  

“It’s with a proactive spirit that we want to do everything we can to support our healthcare community and teaching partners,” said Neves-Silva. “We need to be listening to and responding to their needs. We’ve set up these programs with a preceptor supervisory model to both provide the services needed and meet our educational objectives.”  

“It would be challenging for us to manage the administering of COVID-19 vaccines, working on the short delivery notice, without affecting the patient care, given the current clinical needs in our hospital at the moment,” said Hutchinson. “I reached out to Stacey Maximo, year four placement coordinator, and Susana Neves-Silva at DCSN for help, and they both said yes! DCSN’s fourth-year students and collaborative program nurses have facilitated vaccinations with our Wilson site and our long-term care partners in the community. DCSN’s support means we could facilitate this clinic without affecting patient care or staffing levels in other areas of our hospital system. DCSN has provided us with the equivalent of 64 front-line staff, so this has made a big difference to us.”  

“We can’t turn away from our partners because there are fewer conventional placements at the moment. Our students need and want to be trained to work in the areas of greatest need. This step in the learning process is an important partnership. Not just between HRH and DCSN but between the preceptors and nursing students. I’m sure many nurses can think back to the valuable practical lessons they got from their preceptors during their nursing placements,” said Hutchinson.

“The practical training that nursing students are getting now is really a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Hutchinson. “Many of the previous pandemics we’ve had were hospital spread. COVID-19 is a community spread pandemic, so it’s different from that perspective. We’ve also never had this need or this type of sustained practical training opportunity before. These nursing students will graduate with the practical skills and experience needed throughout our health care system now. Even with delays in vaccine shipments, we’ve set up the program to include administering vaccines in long-term care homes, where we have some of the greatest need for support. Residents and staff are pleased to have them in this program and have continuously recognized the Ryerson DSCN students for their level of engagement and professionalism.”

“At HRH, it’s through the vision of our president and CEO Barb Collins that we have embraced nursing students at such a critical juncture in this pandemic, to provide such practical placements, and receive this unique experience. Through Barb’s leadership, HRH has welcomed 825 students in various placement roles across our organization during the winter 2021 semester. HRH understands the value that the student support provides to our staff and patients, and the learning our staff provide to students, a cycle of professional development. Students working with us today will see the full scope of internal and external drivers that influence their day-to-day work. I’ve been through SARS, Ebola, Swine Flu, MERS and now COVID-19.  My exposure to SARS occurred just after graduating very early on in my career, so having these placements is important. It means that our future nursing leaders will be better prepared when the next pandemic happens, and our system will depend on their leadership. It is an opportunity to support the staff and get fundamental learning that they otherwise wouldn’t get,” Hutchinson explains. “We also benefit from these students in the long run in ensuring the stability of our healthcare professional workforce. Partnerships like this one with DCSN mean we have both placements for nursing students and can help maintain the quality and pipeline of well-trained, effective nurses that we need in our workforce.”  

“The flexibility and availability of these students and the faculty at Ryerson University has been amazing. We are so proud of the students working in the vaccine clinic, managing multiple roles from scheduling and registration desks, providing vaccines and health teaching and through to the discharge process. This collaboration has been and continues to be such an important relief for the hospital and fills a vital role in ending the current COVID-19 pandemic. The opportunity to experience working in the COVID-19 vaccine clinic has facilitated a wonderful training experience for what the future may hold upon graduation, and with whatever pandemic might be next,” said Hutchinson.