FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — Future nurses are bracing themselves for the front lines as their December graduation quickly approaches.
On Friday (Nov. 20) Governor Asa Hutchinson announced the state board will expedite licensure for nursing students to relieve stress in hospitals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jordan Shields will be graduating from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith nursing program in a few short weeks.
After graduation Shields will hit the ground running on the front lines working as an intensive care unit nurse at Baptist Health, knowing she’ll also take care of COVID-19 patients at times too.
“They tend to send the people over to COVID ICU who have the least amount of potential to give it to other people so if you’re single, living by yourself, you’re just more likely to get pulled COVID and that’s definitely scary as a new grad,” Shields said.
Gov. Hutchinson said in a press conference he will fast track 1,104 nursing students so they can alleviate the stress in Arkansas hospitals. The state board will expedite their licensure as well as waive their application fees.
Shields says she’s still waiting to hear exactly how soon after graduation she needs to take her NCLEX exam.
“It really just depends what they need from us, if they don’t need us right now and we can wait a little bit and study more then that would be preferred but if they need us then we are willing and ready to take our test,” Shields said.
Washington Regional Medical Center released a statement to 5NEWS saying in part, "Washington Regional is encouraged by steps Governor Hutchinson has taken to accelerate the entrance of nursing school graduates into the workforce. We anticipate hiring 50 – 60 new nurse graduates in December. One of those graduates being Hannah Mosman who will work in the ER."
“At an early age I wanted to be a nurse, my dad kinda struggled with a few health issues and when I was younger I always wanted to be the one to take care of him and take him to his appointments,” ER nurse's aid Hannah Mosman said.
Finishing up her last semester of nursing school and gaining as much experience as she can before she receives her degree.
Mosman currently works two nights a week as an emergency room nurse aid.
“I have noticed an increase in just people coming in with COVID symptoms and COVID exposure and wanting to get tested and that specifically I’ve seen an increase in,” Mosman said.