Nurse Practitioner Students as an Essential Workforce: The Lessons of Coronavirus Disease 2019

Date: 12/09/2020
Nurse Practitioner Students as an Essential Workforce: The Lessons of Coronavirus Disease 2019
Author(s): Gina Intinarelli, Laura M. Wagner, Barbara Burgel, Robin Andersen, and Catherine L. Gilliss

 

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupted the education and clinical training of nursing students. Clinical sites shut out students over low equipment supplies, physical distancing requirements, and redeployment of staff. The purpose of this paper is to highlight a progressive solution to engage nurse practitioner students as part of the COVID-19 response given the disruption of their traditional clinical training environments so that student could continue to matriculate and graduate in a timely manner. We found that nurse practitioner students swiftly responded and were deemed anessential part of the nursing workforce.