Greater Shreveport Chamber: LSU Shreveport LPN Students Administer COVID-19 Vaccine At State Fairgrounds

The LSU Shreveport Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) students have joined a team of healthcare workers at the Louisiana State Fairgrounds to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to area residents. Not only are the students gaining experience administering vaccines, they are helping the community during the pandemic.

Andrea Marlow, an LSUS LPN student, says, “Working alongside medical students, nurses, and the National Guard is awesome. The type of collaboration in this program is top-notch! Being out there helping is a humbling and wonderful experience.”

A lot of people are taking advantage of the vaccine stations, but the lines move quickly with volunteers helping. The students not only administer vaccines, they also monitor patients for fifteen minutes after their injections, direct traffic, and keep the lines flowing.

Hearing stories of patients coming through their vaccine lines, including those undergoing chemotherapy, gives the LPN students a sense of just how vital their service is to others. Some of the LPN students report that they’ve kept a personal record of how many vaccines they’ve administered, but as the lines became busy and they began connecting with those receiving the vaccine, they lost count of their totals.

Monica Jones, the LPN Director at LSU Shreveport, says this is an opportunity of a lifetime for the students. “Not only do they gain knowledge and skill, they get to be a part of something major for the community.”

LSUS LPN student, Jayda Ross, says she is really enjoying the experience—especially because she loves working with elderly patients.

“I look at the patients like they’re my own grandparents and treat them how I would want my grandparents to be treated.”

As the students reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic, they will likely tell their children and grandchildren about administering vaccines to the community in years to come. At the end of the day, their experience is what the LSUS LPN program is all about; learning skills to help those in need while being part of a larger, life-changing calling in healthcare.