University COVID -19 Surveillance Testing Center: Challenges and Opportunities for Schools of Nursing

As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear, it was evident that higher education schools and Universities, including schools of nursing were facing enormous challenges to create a safe environment for educational instruction to continue. Clinical education in particular was affected as clinical sites were increasingly unable to accommodate student clinical rotations due to crushing volumes and overwhelming care needs of COVID patients. This article outlines the innovative efforts of one university that set up a robust surveillance testing program that required and provided weekly COVID-19 testing of all students, faculty and staff that were on-campus. The testing center is nurse led and nurse managed, providing a clinical experience for over 50 nursing students each semester, allowing them to accrue community clinical hours so that they can progress through their nursing program. Clinical quality and patient experience outcomes are shared, and lessons learned described.