TCU’s annual flu clinic returns Oct. 4 hailing all glory after an incredible football season. An event that began with only 500 administered vaccines in 2009, has now grown to a mass-immunization event with the support of with numerous community partners and are prepared to provide over 3,000 flu vaccines to TCU students, faculty and staff.
The clinic is run in a triage-type environment with minimal equipment, while still meeting all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards and OSHA requirements for points of mass distribution.
“My experience working for the flu clinic has been great,” said Georgia Alexander, senior nursing student. “Within this clinical, each student assumes a professional role where we take the lead in carrying out this project with our instructors as advisors.”
Attendee Alexander explains there are two teams: a logistics team and a marketing team, who come together to re-evaluate the current needs of the TCU community and makes tweaks to the project as needed.
“Each new season, we aim to improve efficiency and reach more people,” explains Sharon Canclini, assistant professor of professional practice. “The flu clinic event has evolved so much over the years that it has become a model for other institutions wishing to implement a similar program.”
The continued success of this mass immunization event has allowed nursing students to engage in service learning by linking student learning to community needs, thereby teaching young nurses civic responsibility and caring for the community they serve. Harris College faculty and staff help the nursing students perfect their skills by allowing the students to vaccinate them as a practice experience.
“TCU Nursing has always been student focused with hands-on activity,” remarks Dennis Cheek, Abell-Hanger Professor of Gerontological Nursing. “The flu clinic is a great example.”
As part of this senior level nursing public health clinical project, student nurses also conduct “bubble-clinics” for at-risk populations like speech pathology students who must interact face-to-face with clients, and populations who may miss the event due to work schedule conflicts such as ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) students in training and night shift employees.
“Participating in the flu clinic is allowing me to apply the leadership principles we’ve learned throughout our time in the TCU nursing program and foster team building within our group,” Alexander said. “We each have different roles, but ultimately are coming together to accomplish a public health initiative that educates, protects and provides free flu vaccines to our TCU community.”
TCU faculty, staff and students may register for a time slot and can arrive any time within that selected time. The clinic will be set up in TCU’s Rec Center from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Learn more about how the flu clinic has evolved over the years.
