'More Than Shots in Arms': Preparing Nursing Students for Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Brief Report

To inform and support clinical, operational and public health nursing leaders by describing a nurse-led Vaccine Volunteer Program (VVP) preceptorship model that improved rapid and safe access to care and can serve as a replicable and scalable framework for future disaster response scenarios.

This brief report describes a strategic service-learning response that innovatively allowed nursing students to be force multipliers in responding to urgent community vaccination needs.

Student eligibility was determined by a VVP coordinator, who then assigned students to a site and preceptor. Prior to vaccination site arrival, each student completed two online courses orienting them to COVID-19 clinic-specific roles and electronic documentation requirements. Upon arrival at the clinic site, students were provided with a vaccination administration competency checklist and were then required to complete five vaccinations under the direct supervision of a vetted nurse preceptor, achieving all competency checklist steps accurately and safely.

A total of 30 student volunteers were chosen to participate (~48%), limited due to the availability of preceptors (N = 6), physical space and vaccine. However, all 30 successfully completed the VVP, subsequently staffed 34 independent vaccine clinic shifts and provided over 350 volunteer hours, resulting in safe and equitable vaccine access expansion. Shifts varied based on the needs of the location and were between 6 and 8 h in length.

This preceptorship was developed in collaboration with local COVID-19 response leaders from the university, health system and city's health department.