SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – San Diego nursing students are fighting the pandemic on the front lines of our hardest-hit communities. They’ve administered thousands of vaccines while getting real-world experience before graduation.
For Marlyna Pidduck, nursing is more than just a job.
“I feel like it’s my niche,” said Pidduck. “My role in society is to be a nurse, it’s my goal and my passion.”
And at San Diego City College she’s more than just a student. More than 60 students in her program have been vaccinating patients at Family Health Centers in Southeast San Diego.
“Just being part of that process of normalcy, it’s a blessing,” said Pidduck. “I am so honored to be a part of this change.”
The program is doing more than just saving lives. It’s allowing them to complete their necessary 1,000 clinical hours before getting licensed. Pidduck says they’ve had experience giving out tetanus and hepatitis vaccines in the past. They’ve also undergone extensive training on doses for COVID-19.
“Making sure we’re drawing up the vaccine properly, going through our medication rights,” said Pidduck. “At one point there’s pom-poms that we’ll have to lift the spirits of people waiting.”
While the shots protect the patients, Pidduck says she might be the one benefiting the most.
“I just love helping people and I love the progression of them getting better,” she said. “I feel like I get more reward out of it than the patients,”
Pidduck is set to graduate in May with hopes of becoming a pediatric nurse. She also wants to be a clinical instructor so she can keep giving back to her community.
Thirty-two students started vaccinations at the beginning of the semester. Another 31 will finish their vaccination hours in May.
