NEWS

Students help run ‘drive-thru’ vaccine clinic

Kate Snyder
Reporter

ZANESVILLE – Without student volunteers to help out, the free flu shot clinic at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds earlier this month might not have been able to serve as many people as it did.

In all, nearly 1,900 vaccines were administered, many of them by Ohio University-Zanesville and Zane State College students enrolled in nursing programs. They came to support the community, get some hands-on experience, and fill out the short staff at the health department.

“We don’t have enough nurses on our staff to do this (by ourselves),” said Bonnie Kirsch, director of health promotion and planning at the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department, which hosted the event.

Robert McFee, an OU-Z student working on an accelerated bachelor’s program, said customers would drive up to a tent where students would check the paperwork and make reasonably sure they were healthy enough to get the shot without any complications.

Students split into teams of two, McFee said, and one person would check the paperwork while the second would prepare the vaccine and then administer it. The customer never even had to get out of their vehicle.

“We’ve never been to a drive-thru shot kind of thing,” he said. “It’s exciting for us.”

Registered nurses came to McFee’s class and talked about what the students could expect the day of the event.

“We were well-prepped when we got here,” he said.

In addition to getting to know the community and learning to work with patients, McFee said, he and his fellow students learned how to work with each other, a skill they would need to know once they start working in a hospital or other health-related setting.

“We’re learning great cooperation with each other,” he said.

Sheryl House, associate professor of nursing at OU-Z and a supervisor at the flu shot clinic, said it was important for the students to have the opportunity to help serve and be involved in their community.

“That shot takes 10 seconds, but for our students to see the role of a community health (representative is important),” House said.

Plus, students gain knowledge they couldn’t simply get in the classroom, she said, and they’re able to share important information about vaccines and influenza with others.

“We’re very grateful for the opportunity to have our students here,” House said.

ksnyder2@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

740-450-6752

Twitter: @KL_Snyder

About the series

The Times Recorder is profiling local people who make a difference in their communities through volunteer work. The features will appear each Monday. The articles will highlight people in Muskingum, Perry and Morgan counties who participate in volunteer efforts that are not part of their jobs.

To submit suggestions for outstanding volunteers, email trnews@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com.