UNLV nursing student Bianca Rodriguez-Villanueva is one of many future medical professionals racking up “clinical hours” required for graduation while also helping to meet an urgent public health need — administering COVID-19 vaccinations.
The 26-year-old said the most practice she had giving injections was during a clinical last semester at University Medical Center, which made working at UNLV’s vaccination site for a full day last month a little nerve-wracking.
But it was also meaningful.
“For me personally, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it was a very emotional experience in particular,” Rodriguez-Villanueva said.
A few of her relatives in Mexico have died from COVID-19 and others are currently sick with the disease caused by the new coronavirus. By helping administer the vaccine, Rodriguez-Villanueva said she hopes she can help prevent others from losing loved ones.
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UNLV, which also