Wright State nursing students help administer COVID-19 vaccines in Greene County

Wright State nursing students administered hundreds of COVID-19 vaccinations during a clinic in Xenia.

Hundreds of COVID-19 vaccinations were administered to Greene County residents in need thanks to an enthusiastic group of Wright State University nursing students.

Dubbing themselves The Greene County Health Crusaders, the eight students helped administer the vaccines on Jan. 28 at the Adult Ed Building in Xenia under the direction of Ann Stalter, professor of nursing at Wright State and research chair of the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators.

“The students performed an excellent job giving shots and volunteering their time and talent while learning about public health nursing and earning course credit,” said Stalter. “The goal of the class is to partner with the health department to combat the COVID-19 virus in an attempt to reach herd immunity.”

Each member of the eight-student teams can average 12 vaccines per 15 minutes over a five-hour period.

Rayna Edwards, a senior majoring in nursing from Huber Heights, called it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“The most challenging thing was that we were new to the environment, but once we got the hang of everything, we felt very comfortable,” said Edwards, whose career goal is to be a travel nurse. “It was gratifying when we would have clients tell us how professional we were at the clinical. I hope to be back there soon.”

The nursing students plan to administer vaccines throughout Spring Semester. Other students in the group include Caleb Ricks, Madison McCoy, Brandon Conklin and Justine Turner.

The students are part of a class partnering with the health department to slow the spread of COVID-19.

One team of female students affectionately coined themselves the “Nightin Gals” to commemorate Florence Nightingale’s efforts of promoting community health. In 2020, nurses around the world celebrated the founder of modern nursing’s 200th birthday, dubbing it the Year of the Nurse. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration was extended into 2021.

A Wright State student fills a syringe with a dose of Covid-19 vaccine.