Nursing students to administer flu shots
FMU’s Student Health Service in partnership with FMU nursing students will sponsor a flu clinic where students, faculty and staff The flu clinic is scheduled to take place on Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the lobby of the Lee Nursing Building. Attendees will receive their shots from the students of the FMU nursing program and will be accepted on a walk-in basis. The cost of the flu shot is $15, which can be paid by cash or check.
Compared to locations such as Walgreens where, the cost of a flu shot ranges from $30 to $60 depending on the type of flu shot you receive, the price offered by the flu clinic is at least half the cost.
“It is a great way for FMU students, faculty & staff to get their flu shots,” Dr. Tracy George, professor of Nursing, said.
The flu clinic also aims to be convenient.
“The flu clinic is a great opportunity for students and faculty who don’t usually or don’t have means of getting off campus to get influenza vaccinations,” junior nursing student Zachary Greenwood said. “It’s also inexpensive at just $15.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that individuals receive their flu shots yearly, preferably by October, to reduce their chances of contracting the flu.
According to Jessica Johnson, a junior nursing student, the nursing students administering the shots have been assessed on their injections skills.
“Each nursing student participating in the flu shot clinic has demonstrated this type of injection to an instructor and has been checked off as competent with this skill,” Johnson said. “Individuals choosing to attend the flu shot clinic should feel assured that these nursing students can correctly administer the flu shot to him or her.”
Not only does the flu clinic give FMU students, faculty and staff the opportunity to get their flu shots at a discounted rate, it also gives the nursing students an opportunity to gain experience.
“By allowing nursing students to administer flu shots to fellow students, alumni and faculty, nursing students are given an opportunity to perform intramuscular injections and gain more confidence in the skills they have learned while in lab,” Johnson said.
Greenwood also emphasized the importance of this experience that the nursing students will be gaining from the flu clinic.
“It’s also a great opportunity for nursing students to get experience with a diverse number of patients campus wide,” Greenwood said. “It helps both parties – the nursing students and those being vaccinated.”
For more information, contact George at tgeorge@ fmarion.edu.