UST Peavy School of Nursing students are serving the Houston community by administering COVID-19 vaccines at Texas Southern University and Rice University.

“Our nursing students are serving the community and gaining valuable clinical experience,” Dr. Poldi Tschirch, dean of the Nursing School, said.

UST Partners with CHI St. Luke's Health

PSON, in partnership with CHI St. Luke’s Health, provides students the opportunity to work alongside medical professionals and gain experience beyond the classroom to prepare them for their nursing careers.

“Whether it is registering patients, or administering vaccinations, our students are eager to serve,” Dr. Michael Sullivan, assistant professor of nursing, said.

Nearly 100 nursing students are scheduled to administer vaccines at both university campuses. “We are immensely proud of our student frontline providers as they play a pivotal role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sullivan said. “By participating in this community health initiative, students obtain course credit and valuable practice of their skills in the field. It is truly a win-win for everyone.

“Hearing stories of patients coming to the vaccine stations provides our students with a sense of just how imperative their service is for others,” Sullivan said. “Some students share that they have kept personal journals of the number of vaccines they have administered and even recorded having bonded with the recipients.”

Reflections on COVID-19 Pandemic

Sullivan notes that as students reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic, “They will likely share stories with their children and grandchildren about administering vaccines to the community in the years to come. At the end of the day, the UST PSON experience is all about acquiring skills to assist those in need while being part of a larger, life-changing mission: to be the compassion of God to those we are privileged to serve.”