Sandusky Career Center students give COVID-19 vaccines

NORWALK — Sandusky Career Center students got to practice what they've learned during a historic moment in medical history. A handful of adult medical assisting and phlebotomy students recently administered COVID-19 vaccines to the public and Fisher-Titus Medical Center employees. Instructors and registered nurses, Robin Bruner and Jamie Krabill, accompanied seven students — Leanne Billman, Debra Fowler, Andrea Pulizzi, Shannon Grose, Stacey Gribble, Brittney Alexander and Carrie Mauter — at the Norwalk hospital for two days while they gained real-world experience. It's estimated students inoculated "hundreds" of people at Fisher-Titus, said Lauralee Krabill, the career center's director of allied health and licensed practical nursing. "We reached out to Fisher-Titus to see if students could give injections since the medical assisting and phlebotomy students were ready for clinicals," she said. "In some places around Ohio, military members are giving the vaccines, so it's great that hospitals have reached out to schools to provide the service for them." Students learned how to inject vaccines before they went, Krabill said. On both days at the hospital, they spent most of the morning through early afternoon interacting with health care workers and community members. Sandusky Career Center students administered the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Fisher-Titus, hospital spokeswoman Alex Cruey said. "They loved it — it's just a great opportunity for students to practice their skills and help others," Krabill said. "I want them to realize the importance of vaccines and how they work. We've been in our homes and masking, and we see how the vaccine can change that, and we can get back to normalcy." Mary Helton, vice president of ancillary services at Fisher-Titus, organized the employee clinics and current public vaccination clinics at the hospital. "Fisher-Titus was very pleased to partner with Sandusky Career Center and their students in our early vaccination efforts," she said. "When the vaccine was first distributed in late December, the hospital was seeing an increase in census with COVID-19-positive patients, and our clinical staff were extremely busy at the bedside. "By partnering with Sandusky Career Center students it allowed us to get our frontline workers vaccinated quickly and help ensure their safety. We were grateful for their help and support at our employee clinics." Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood