Hood’s nursing program during COVID

By Jacob Russell//

It has been 476 days since the U.S. reported its first case of COVID-19. 

Since then, this country has seen its medical institutions pushed to the absolute brink. There have been 578,000 confirmed deaths so far in the U.S. from the virus, a number that continues to rise. 

Everyone has seen the horror stories of how hospitals struggled and still struggle to handle this virus. 

Yet, despite knowing that this field of work puts you on the front lines of the wars we don’t fight with guns and bombs, nursing majors are actually increasing in number.

According to surveys conducted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, baccalaureate nursing programs actually saw enrollment increase by 6% in 2020. Additionally, medical schools saw an 18% boost in applications. 

What’s the driving cause behind these increases during the toughest period the medical field has faced in 100 years? That answer is impossible to pinpoint; every applicant has a reason. 

Some nursing students are guided by their drive to do whatever they can to help people. Natalie Thrift, a freshman in Hood College’s nursing program, shares this motivation.

“I’ve always wanted to help people, specifically older people who have trouble taking care of themselves,” Thrift said. “I want to be someone who has a positive impact physically, emotionally, and mentally.”

Thrift’s mentality is common for many aspiring nurses, and although she hasn’t personally been dissuaded from pursuing nursing due to COVID, it would be easy to understand if she was.

Nursing doesn’t translate as seamlessly to an online learning environment as other programs do. Much of the material is learned through clinicals, which are labs that give nursing students hands-on experience with the skills and tasks they’ll need to perform in their career.

Many of the students in Hood’s nursing program haven’t been able to participate in as many clinicals as they normally would because of COVID.

One such student is Aaron Delph, a senior in Hood’s nursing program. 

“When COVID first hit, everything stopped. No more clinicals, no nothing,” Delph said. “To make up for lost time, we’ve been cramming into three-week long sessions of much more immersive clinicals.”

This race against time creates a stressful environment that is certainly being felt by students and catching them off guard. Delph himself said that all of this is not what he expected.

However, the students continue to trudge through this less-than-conducive learning environment to conquer their aspirations. Many still don’t understand why or how nursing students are willing to plow through these obstacles.

There’s an old adage that says, “pressure makes diamonds.” It’s a concept that Linda Kennedy, the department chair of Hood’s nursing program, takes to heart.

“The selflessness it takes for one to become a nurse during these times is unreal. Nursing school changes you, it’s difficult, but it grants you confidence,” Kennedy said. “It’s normal to have self-doubt, but we (faculty) know how hard it is, and we’re rooting for them every step of the way.”