PRACTICE IN A PANDEMIC
The Class of 2020’s first year in practice
These eager RNs spent the last of their senior year adapting to virtual school, mask policies, and pivoting their expectations of traditional graduation. On the first day of work, the graduates of 2020 were greeted with masked smiles and welcomed by their new co-workers. This class has shown resilience and passion for nursing while entering a health care environment filled with uncertainty and frontline fatigue. We admire their commitment to nursing during an overwhelming first year of practice.
PASSION PROCEEDS PANDEMIC When LORIBETH SMITH graduated and received approval to take her NCLEX exam, the waitlist for anywhere within a 2-hour drive was over six months. Testing centers were only allowing six people at a time, and not all facilities were open. Smith had a job lined up in Labor & Delivery, a specialized and coveted area, and she wasn’t about to lose her spot. She needed to take the NCLEX as soon as possible and found a testing center available in Miami, FL. Smith shares, “To pick up and head out of state was challenging, but I had worked so hard for four years that taking the 1,000-mile round trip was worth securing my dream job.” Smith is now an RN in Labor & Delivery at Beaufort Memorial in Beaufort, SC, and Colleton Medical Center in Walterboro, SC. Smith says the first year of working has been so unpredictable because of COVID-19. In addition to screenings and PPE requirements, being short-staffed means the possibility of being pulled from one floor to the next without notice. With rising COVID-19 numbers, hospitals want staff vaccinated by a specific date or be faced with job termination.
“NURSING IS NOT AN EASY CAREER ON A NORMAL DAY, BUT COVID-19 HAS MADE IT SO MUCH MORE TRYING. WE STILL PUSH THROUGH AND FIGHT TO PROTECT OUR PATIENTS, OUR FAMILIES, AND OURSELVES. NURSING IS NOT A CAREER CHOICE —IT'S A LOVE, A PASSION, AND A CALLING!" Smith exclaims proudly. Smith says UofSC Nursing prepared her in more ways than she ever thought possible. With challenging and intense classes and clinicals, she feels ready to take on the world. Smith shares, “Our professors pushed us and didn’t cut us any slack. That’s how nursing should be. After all, you are holding someone’s life in your hands.”
4/COLLEGE OF NURSING
