From left: Michael Sweet, Marie Andre Dorescar, Cassandra Bordenave, Nnakaike Okpara and Practical Nursing Program Coordinator Betty Tangney at the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center. (Photo courtesy Blue Hills Regional Technical School) 
Blue Hills Practical Nursing student McKala Mendes administers a COVID-19 nasal swab test at the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center over the past month. (Photo courtesy Blue Hills Regional Technical School) -
From left: Karina Soto Alvarez, Shannon Kenny, Instructor Nancy Finnell, Lisette Darosa and McKala Mendes at the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center. (Photo courtesy Blue Hills Regional Technical School) -
Blue Hills Practical Nursing students Erica Roberts (left), McKala Mendes (center) and Kerry Mitchell (right) administered COVID-19 swab tests at the the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center over the past month. (Photo courtesy Blue Hills Regional Technical School)
CANTON — Superintendent Jill Rossetti is pleased to announce that Blue Hills Regional Technical School Practical Nursing students partnered with the Town of Randolph’s Public Health Department to assist with their local COVID-19 response efforts.
The Practical Nursing Program, in collaboration with the Randolph Public Health Department, Randolph Public Health Director Gerard Cody and Public Health Nurse Ann Martin, worked in conjunction with the Randolph Medical Reserve Corps to administer COVID-19 swab tests and vaccinations.
The partnership between the Practical Nursing Program and the Town of Randolph’s Public Health Department was facilitated by Practical Nursing instructor Nancy Finnell as a community focused clinical rotation for students this year.
“We appreciate how receptive the Town of Randolph was to the idea of our students working alongside them in their community’s COVID-19 response efforts,” said Finnell. “This clinic provided our students with the opportunity to join in the fight against COVID-19 in the community while obtaining invaluable clinical experience. I’m certain their experiences from this clinic will benefit and prepare them for their future careers.”
The program’s partnership with the Randolph Department of Public Health began in January with 24 students and four nursing instructors attending an orientation at the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center. The Randolph Intergenerational Community Center serves as the town’s site for COVID-19 tests and vaccinations.
During their orientation, students were taught COVID-19 protocols and procedures by Public Health Nurse Martin. Students also had the opportunity during orientation to practice screen swabbing techniques.
Prior to orientation and their clinic, students prepared to administer the vaccine through the program’s medication competency curriculum, which included injections, and completed online training courses to receive certifications as COVID-19 Caregivers and in COVID-19 contact tracing.
Following their orientation, the students, alongside their instructor Finnell and Practical Nursing Program Coordinator Betty Tangney, began their clinical work.
To date, Blue Hills Practical Nursing students have assisted in conducting 1,000 COVID-19 swab tests on Thursdays and Fridays, and have administered hundreds of Moderna and Pfizer vaccinations at the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center.
“I’d like to commend our Practical Nursing Program for their clinical work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic this year,” Superintendent Rossetti said. “This year has been unlike any other for our students, but through the creativity of our instructors we were able to offer them hands-on experiences that have enriched their learning in the face of adversity.”
Blue Hills Regional Practical Nursing Program
The Blue Hills Regional Practical Nursing Program is a post-secondary adult 10 month full-time nursing program at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton. Graduates of the program are prepared both academically and clinically to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN) through the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing.
Those interested in learning more about the program or who are interested in applying for the fall of 2021-2022 are encouraged to visit the program’s website at www.bluehills.org/practical-nursing.
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