DAYTON, Ohio — With the coronavirus spreading exponentially, hospitals across the country are looking for more nurses.
In response to the need for nurses, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 197, which allows for college nurses that are set to graduate to get to work right away.
Part of that new workforce is coming from Wright State University. Wright State is sending their largest graduating class ever — 120 nurses — into the workforce to provide much needed relief.
- Wright State University is sending their largest graduating class of nurses into the workforce to aid in the war against the coronavirus
- Governor DeWine signed an emergency order to allow graduating nurses to start working without having to take the nursing board exam
- The interim dean of nursing says all of the graduating nurses are excited and ready to make a difference
Interim Dean of Nursing and Health at Wright State Dr. Deborah Ulrich said it’s their time to shine.
“They are excited to get out and help,” Ulrich said. “This is what they’ve been wanting to do, this is what they’ve been going to school for. And I think the hospitals are excited too, because they need reinforcements.”
Allye Camden is one of the nurses graduating, and she said she can’t wait to jump in and start helping.
“It’s definitely a bigger challenge than I think any of us anticipated starting with, but we’re prepared and we’re excited to be able to help,” Camden said.
Camden said she already has a job lined up working at Miami Valley Hospital in the Neuroscience ICU. And since she’s so close to graduation, she said there’s no uneasy feeling about starting right away.
“Really, all that changes for us is when we’re taking our state boards,” Camden said. “So we’re still finishing the program. We’re prepared. We’ve learned everything that we’ve needed to learn. It’s just one test that stands between you and working, so it’s just a change of timeline now.”
Ulrich knows this is a frightening time for everyone. But she is fully confident her students will be able to make a big impact in the continued battle against COVID-19.
“Our students are ready for this,” Ulrich said. “This is what they want. This is kind of what they signed up for. They knew as a nurse they would be taking care of people — some people that would have infectious diseases. So I have heard no one say, ‘Oh my gosh I’m scared and I don’t want to do this.’ Everyone is just roaring to get out to be able to do this.”
“That’s what we aim to do anyway with nursing, to make a difference in people’s lives, it’s now on a bigger scale than what any of us could have hoped for,” Camden said.