Student Health Services hosted a free flu clinic Sept. 13 in the Memorial Union from 10 a..m. to 1 p.m. Students gathered around as the nursing students assisted them to get their shots.
The nursing students have to take part in the event as part of their community engagement training. Among the four levels of nursing students, the students who took part at the event were level 2. Alyx Salinas, junior nursing major, shared her views on the event.
“It is kind of to get us into practice,” Salinas said. “And also just help get more people vaccinated.”
Salinas went further to explain how the training for the nursing students works for going to events such as this.
“Every semester of nursing school you are supposed to be in a community engagement. So, this is how we help the community,” Salinas said. “I know last semester, I went to an elementary school and taught kids how to brush their teeth.”
Free flu shots are not just exclusive at Washburn University but are available for its extensions as well. Morgan White, junior nursing major, explained how there are Student Health services that have reached out to other places affiliated by Washburn.
“We have a Student Health van that sits outside of Washburn Tech because Washburn Tech doesn’t have Student Health but they still get free student health service,” White said. “So, we have a Student Health band that goes out there once a week and gives them whatever kind of services, like physicals, tests, flu shots.”
Salinas shares her thoughts on the success of the event.
“We printed out 50 sheets so our goal was 50 [students]. I think right now we are around 35. So, we are almost there,” Salinas said.
The nursing students have to go through certain training in their first semester at the nursing school. William Hess, junior nursing major, provides technical information on being qualified for giving the flu shot.
“For our first semester we did a pharmacology lab where they taught us how to do the same kind of injection that is intramuscular,” Hess said.
Hess went on to share his experience in the community engagement from last semester.
“Last semester, we had a community engagement project…we all had a bunch of different choices but I did a mobile health clinic at Washburn Tech,” Hess said.
The free flu clinic is going to come around again at the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center Oct. 2 and at the Law School Oct. 3 with the help of more nursing students.
Edited by Jeremy Ford
