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CSU San Marcos nursing students helping local COVID-19 clinic

Posted at 10:56 AM, Sep 21, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-21 13:56:31-04

San Diego (KGTV)- For weeks, the pandemic left nursing students at CSU San Marcos in limbo when it came to completing their graduation requirements. Now, thanks to the county, the students can get their clinical hours.

When the pandemic hit in March, nursing students were forced out of public health facilities to get their hands-on experience for their classes.

“We didn’t know when we were going to go back, and it was halfway through the spring semester,” says nursing student Winter Minton.

Minton will be graduating from CSU San Marcos in the spring.

The nursing student says for weeks, students were unsure about how they would obtain their clinical hours. A total of 135 hours are needed for two classes.

“When we were ready to go back, the county was not willing, ready to have nursing students on site at all,” says Course Coordinator Madelyn Lewis.

In August, the county opened a COVID-19 testing clinic on campus and allowed nursing students to work on-site. The students assist patients with self-administered COVID tests while wearing full protective gear.

“Not only does it benefit us, but it benefits so many people,” says Minton. “I heard people driving all the way down from Irvine or Fullerton just to get the exam done.”
Minton says the walk-in clinic sees more than 300 patients a day.

The testing site is open to the public seven days a week.