Hospital help is on the way as Wake Tech nursing students get pins and prepare to work
Dozens of soon-to-be nursing graduates lined up in their cars in the pouring rain for a curbside pinning ceremony Monday in Raleigh.
WakeMed served as the backdrop for the event, where students from Wake Tech Community College’s Martha Mann Smith School of Nursing students received their pins, a symbolic ticket to the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Unlike previous years, these students won’t have to wait to take their licensure exams before heading into hospitals and health care facilities. They will be able to enter the workforce to help fight COVID-19 in North Carolina as early as May 8, which marks the end of the spring semester.
The NC Board of Nursing temporarily waived the National Council Licensure Examination testing requirements to practice during the pandemic. Graduates from colleges and universities across the state can work as a “Graduate Registered Nurse” in health care facilities under the supervision of a registered nurse. The new policy took effect April 6 and is set to remain in effect until Aug. 31.
Jessica Hernandez, 26, will be working as an ICU nurse at Central Harnett Hospital in Lillington and training to work in the emergency department once she finishes her online classes and finals in May. Harnett County has reported 61 coronavirus cases and 4 deaths from COVID-19, according to The News & Observer.
“This is something I feel like I need to do and that I should do for my community,” Hernandez said. “It’s exciting, but it’s also ... I’m not going to lie, it’s terrifying.”
Hernandez, who lives in Dunn was going to take the summer off and wait to apply for jobs. But she changed her mind, feeling compelled to help during the COVID-19 outbreak, despite the risks. She told her family she’s going to be available to help as a nurse and that not stepping up would weigh greatly on her conscience.
“All nurses are at a higher risk than the average individual to get sick and be faced with COVID-19 itself,” Hernandez said. “I am not immunocompromised ... but several of my family members are.”
Her dad has lupus, and she’s been buying her parents groceries and bringing food to their house in Angier so that her dad doesn’t have to go out in public. Now that she’ll be working in a hospital, Hernandez knows she’ll need to take extra precautions so that she doesn’t bring the virus home to him or to her husband.
Becoming a nurse before passing boards
The state board of nursing implemented a policy that allows Hernandez and others to work as graduate registered nurses as they wait to take the boards, which typically take place in May and June.
But the pandemic is likely to cause delays in testing. The number of open testing sites has dropped to seven in the entire state and those that are open can accommodate a limited number of students because of social distancing.
Ann Milner, a member of the NC Board of Nursing, said this change is necessary to get more nurses out into the field to help with the COVID-19 crisis and alleviate some of the strain put on healthcare facilities as nurses are getting sick or are unable to go into work. Milner is also the administrative department head at Wake Tech’s nursing school.
“I’m happy they’re doing it, because our students are prepared,” Milner said. “It’s a little scary for them going out into this, but they know how to take care of themselves.”
Students must have completed their degree, have applied for licensure through the state board, have applied to take the national exam and passed a criminal background check to qualify. Graduates will still have to pass the exam to become an RN. And if they take it and fail, then they lose their permit and must stop working in that role.
Hernandez is confident heading into her career with a nursing degree from Wake Tech, where 98% of graduates pass the NCLEX on their first attempt, according to the college. Wake Tech’s two-year associate degree program for nursing is one of the largest in the region, with about 300 students and 150 graduates each year. It boasts that 95% of graduates are employed within six months.
‘It was very touching’
At the drive-by pinning ceremony, one of two held this spring, students were congratulated by faculty and administrators through a car window. Milner said she wanted to make sure the students would be able to wear their pins with pride when they start their jobs.
The pinning ceremony is usually one of the biggest events at the college, and a big celebration was planned for this year, which is dubbed the year of the nurse, Milner said. While social distancing rules limited the hugs and handshakes, the spirit of the day was not lost.
“It was very touching. I didn’t expect that at all,” Hernandez said. “The fact that they went out of their way to personalize it for us was very special.”
In addition to their pins, the students were handed a small nursing lamp, a guidebook to the profession and a copy of the Florence Nightingale pledge. The final words of the pledge feel particularly relevant during this time, as the nation is relying on the tireless, relentless and selfless work of healthcare professionals.
“With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 2:22 PM.
