Nursing students from the University of Wisconsin System have the opportunity to help administer COVID-19 vaccines, but that's not all.
"They (nursing students) could really advance their own experience and careers while truly helping people," said Rebecca Sommer, Assistant Dean for the School of Health and Wellness and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP).
Approximately 4,000 UW-System nursing students will get real-life experience during a pandemic. The system is initiating an incentive for these students to help our local healthcare workers on the frontlines.
Rebecca said, "there are two parts to the incentive the first is to provide patient care in hospitals clinics long-term nursing facilities for the COVID surge."
The incentive is a tuition credit of $500 for those who work during this surge of COVID-19 cases from December through January. The second part of it all is the nursing students will be utilized to help administer COVID-19 vaccinations during the spring semester.
Interim UW-System President Tommy Thompson said he's been working closely with Governor Tony Evers and the Department of Health Services to make this possible.
"Boy that vaccination really is our path to the end of this pandemic," said Rebecca.
However, Rebecca knows how much extra help will mean to those on the frontlines. "In my own family, my husband is a Primary Care Physician and so I see my own family just how stressed out the healthcare system is."
