California nursing students seek help from lawmakers to graduate on time

Nursing students across the state are worried they won’t be able to graduate on time due to the coronavirus outbreak

Nursing students across the state are worried they won't be able graduate on time because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Action news now reporter christina vitale spoke with some of them today and joins us live from butte college.

Yes the students and faculty here reached out governor newsom and lawmakersã hoping something can be done to help them.

Vondracek: it is so sad to think that after all this time our dreams of helping others might be delayed i skyped with butte college 4th semester nursing student devyn vondracek.

Most schools are going to online classes only but vondracek says that doesn't work for them.

Vondracek: for most programs this is not a big deal but for nursing students it is& we can do our theory online that's not the problem its being able to get those direct patient hours they're called clinical hoursã the board of resgistered nursing says in order to graduate students must complete 25 percent simulation training and 75 percent direct patient care.

Vondracek: doing iv med, oral med, shots just your basic care, we help people to the bathroom, take their vitals blood pressure heart rate but with the coronavirus outbreak vondracek says they're not allowed in hospitals or clinical sites vondracek: which makes it impossible to comply with the brn's rules.

Me: whats the feed back you've been getting from your students?

You've been working with them& what are they saying to you?

Meyers: they're afraid, they're scared, they're in doubt, they want to go out and help.

Nursing program director laurie meyers says 14 thousand california nursing students might not graduate in may meyers: other states have already had an executive order by the governor to allow this exemption of 75% direct patient care for clinical hours and are ready to proceed the students have completed 890 hours so far leaving just 128 to finish.

Meyers says face to face clinical would be better but virtual simulation is very comprehensive.

Meyers: they're very robust they're great learning opportunities many other states have already approved 50 percent virtual simulation before the crisis so just allowing us to get there in california would be beneficial vondracek: we have been calling sending emails and reaching out on social media meyers; they've reached out to the chancellors office and the chancellors office has heard us and they're working with the governor pretty intently to help this but the governor still needs to hear our voice.

I spoke with senator nielsen on the phoneãhe says they're already talking about the students concerns.

And he's confident they'll work something out.

Nielsen says he can't put a date on when the governor will speak out, but he says soon.

Live near butte college christina vitale action news now coverage you can count on.## nielsen says he can't put a date on when the governor will speak out, but he says soon.

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