The Susan S. Morrison School of Nursing at the University of St. Thomas partnered with the Center for Well-Being to provide flu shots to students, faculty and staff on campus. This collaboration presents a unique opportunity to promote public health while providing nursing students valuable hands-on experience.
With the clinical aspect of the flu clinic, “It was a natural fit for our students to engage in hands-on skills like vaccinations, especially since it’s easily accessible on campus,” said Lisa Shields, clinical professor at the School of Nursing, which is housed in the Morrison Family College of Health.
This collaboration marks a new chapter for the Center for Well-Being, providing second-year nursing students the chance to hone essential skills in screening, administration and documentation as part of their Population Health course.
This initiative prepares nursing students for future health care roles and plays a crucial role in protecting the health of their peers. For many students, missing even a week of classes can be academically challenging; having flu shots available on campus offers students a safe and effective resource for preventing sickness.
“Having the opportunity, as a nursing student, to practice a skill like this again and again, is invaluable to our future work,” nursing student Nicole Dixon ’25 said.
Second-year grad students in the School of Nursing also bring something unique to the table: the ability to mentor undergraduate nursing students.
Luis de Zengotita, Executive Director, Center for Well-BeingThe students do a phenomenal job of preparing each other to focus on the whole person.”
Luis de Zengotita noted, “The fact that the class is younger, I think they have a generational advantage in understanding the needs of young adults when doing outreach.”
“We’re also students, and we get a chance to talk to them,” Dixon said. “I feel like a lot of students on campus have been enjoying that.”
Population Health focuses on the basics of vaccination but also goes beyond, taking the course much deeper into the public health implications. Students consider the collective impact on well-being of higher vaccination rates and think about ways to engage students to get immunized.
One popular aspect of the flu clinic promotion effort has been the students’ tabling events on campus, which effectively blend valuable health resources with elements of pop culture. One sign playfully read, “Please, Please, Please get your flu shot,” referencing a song by Sabrina Carpenter.
