INDIANAPOLIS — Bridget McHugh initially went to school to be a teacher, but she quickly realized that was not the path for her. “Nursing has always been something that I think was in the back of my mind,” McHugh said.
McHugh is now a student at Chamberlain University’s College of Nursing in Indianapolis. Since the pandemic started, her classes have been virtual, which she says has been a challenge. “I’m also working in healthcare right now at St Vincent Heart Center. It has definitely been an adjustment. It’s been very difficult to go completely online,” she said.
Chamberlain’s program is aimed at students who want to finish school quickly allowing them to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing in as little as three years. Until September, students completed their 12-hour clinicals online through iHuman simulations. The program mirrors a real patient experience through simulation.
McHugh says she is now back to doing clinicals in person, but she cannot take care of patients with COVID-19. “We are just trying to be there as much as we can, stocking rooms whatever it may be ready to get supplies for these nurses who are in and out of these COVID rooms and just being run ragged, McHugh said. “It is really hard to not be able to do more to be in there with those patients taking care of them.”
McHugh says this entire experience is reaffirming her decision to go into the nursing field. As a junior, she’s pushing through her time at Chamberlain, anxious to start taking care of patients. “I’m just thankful and excited to go into this field and be able to work with amazing healthcare workers during this difficult time,” she said.
Registered nurses are listed in the highest demand category on the Indiana Department of Workforce Development site with over 5,000 current openings.
The next round of classes for the nursing program at Chamberlain University starts on May 3rd.
