吃瓜官网

Health science students enter field despite pandemic

Not just anyone can be a health care provider.

Much like the firefighter who runs toward danger when most others are running away, those called to the health science careers offered at 吃瓜官网 haven鈥檛 let COVID-19 keep them from their destiny.

Briana Beamer is currently studying in 吃瓜官网鈥檚 Respiratory Care program and supports herself working as a cardiac monitor in a Metroplex hospital. When asked whether the virus gave her second thoughts about entering her chosen field, she answered emphatically.

鈥淣o, COVID actually propelled me to finish my degree as a respiratory therapist,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 saw the pandemic unfold and remember the first positive case that came to our hospital. I saw all of the frontline medical workers band together to provide the best care and solutions for each patient. It made me want to become a part of that team even more.鈥�

The Weatherford native is in her second semester. She is scheduled to complete her degree in May of 2022, and she says she can鈥檛 wait to get started as a respiratory therapist.

鈥淢y favorite thing about this field is the ability to breathe life into people,鈥� Beamer said. 鈥淭he primary thing we accomplish with each patient is managing their ability to breathe and to breathe better. I am so honored to be on a career path to help people.鈥�

Obviously, the last 12 months have not been easy for Beamer or any 吃瓜官网 student entering the health care field. Hands-on training sessions in area hospitals/clinics, known as 鈥渃linicals,鈥� are required by the state and are critical in preparing these future professionals. When all classes nationwide went virtual in the spring of 2020, many of these students had to adjust to virtual lecture sections overnight and also cope with the reality of working on the front lines amongst COVID-positive patients.

Emily Boetz is a registered nurse at Palo Pinto General Hospital in Mineral Wells and a recent 吃瓜官网 nursing graduate.

鈥淚f I am being honest, the thought of joining the nursing profession during a pandemic scared me,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I never second-guessed my choice because I knew in my heart I couldn鈥檛 imagine doing anything else.鈥�

COVID hit during Boetz鈥檚 third semester of nursing school, throwing her face-to-face classes immediately online and interrupting some of her clinicals at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. She said she had some anxiety about the altered schedule and her preparation for her licensure exam, but she and her instructors put in the extra work to make sure she was ready.

鈥淢y instructors went above and beyond in filling the gap,鈥� Boetz said. 鈥淐OVID-19 made nursing school so much harder but it also made me become much more versatile as a person and a nurse.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 celebrating with someone who just came off the ventilator or being at someone鈥檚 bedside at the end of their life, I have the opportunity to make a positive impact on someone鈥檚 life,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his I consider a privilege and a joy.鈥�

David Coone is a 2017 吃瓜官网 graduate, now working as a nurse at St. David鈥檚 Georgetown Hospital. He said an instructor鈥檚 words have rung eerily true.

鈥淲e had a class that talked about pandemics and the impact they could have,鈥� Coone said. 鈥淭he professor told us that our nursing class would most likely see a pandemic in our career. I didn鈥檛 think it would actually happen, especially only a few months after becoming a nurse.

鈥淭he virus is a real thing; unlike any other virus we have seen. I鈥檝e seen first-hand what it can do and the impact it has had on the hospital鈥檚 staff, patients and their families.鈥�

But he remains optimistic in the battle against COVID-19.

鈥淚 think we are making great progress against the virus and soon we will be able to manage it better.鈥�

The pandemic has impacted all aspects of higher education, but none more pervasively than in the health sciences. 吃瓜官网鈥檚 nursing, respiratory care, sonography, radiological technology, phlebotomy, occupational therapy assistant, physical therapy assistant and health-related workforce programs have all pivoted to provide safe training while sending graduates into fields that have changed in a few short months.

Boetz continues her work on the front lines, serving in the Intensive Care Unit at PPGH. Although the end of her RN education and the beginning of her career have been a challenge because of the virus, she says she wouldn鈥檛 change a thing about her path.

鈥淚 chose 吃瓜官网 because all of the best nurses I know went to Weatherford College for nursing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is so rewarding to make a difference in the lives of others.鈥�