KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Sara Borges is a nurse and an instructor at The University of Tennessee College of Nursing. When she’s not working at a Knoxville hospital she’s teaching students how to care for critically ill patients. Providing care is something Borges has done for 20 years, but never more so than during the pandemic.
“I might be caring for a patient at their bedside. That translates to me being able to instruct students in a way they are going to care for a patient as soon as they graduate,” said Borges.
COVID-19 created opportunities for nursing students like Carolyn Cantrell to get a jumpstart on their careers. The senior is balancing her studies while working as a nurse tech at a local hospital.
During the pandemic, she was able to get real-life, hands-on experience. She takes vitals and feeds patients while freeing up stretched thin and stressed out hospital staff to care for the sickest.
“I think starting out my career like this is going to prepare me in a way that others have had to wait 20 years to be prepared for,” said Cantrell.
Victoria Niederhauser, the dean of the UT College of Nursing, said when the COVID-19 vaccines rolled out her students rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
“We gave vaccines here on campus, the health centers, at the hospital, as well as out in the community. We gave over a total of 30,000 vaccines,” said Niederhauser.
The students also screened, contact traced and tested people before football games. But Niederhauser said, more importantly, they gained critical thinking skills.
Whether it’s the next generation or those fighting on the frontlines of COVID-19, Sara Borges says nurses are needed. The country is facing a nurse shortage.
“If there has ever been a time we needed people caring for patients at the bedside, it’s right now," she said.
The college of nursing is working to address the need. It admitted 1,047 students in the fall semester. Over the next decade, it hopes to grow that number to 1,250. The college will also be expanding its footprint on campus. Next summer it will break ground on a $60 million dollar renovation and expansion.
You can find more information on how to support the UT College of Nursing on its website.