In an effort to support the community and gain invaluable experience, Western Nevada College’s nursing students are seizing the opportunity to assist in vaccinating residents at the Churchill County Fairgrounds as Churchill County rolls out its COVID-19 vaccinations. Raylene Stiehl, WNC’s Fallon nursing lab instructor, explained that having the students participate helps increase the number of people who can receive their vaccinations in a timely manner. In order for nursing students to participate in administering vaccines, students are trained in the classroom and practice in their lab. The students are tested for competency and their instructor is onsite whenever they are administering vaccinations. “It’s a win-win all the way around for the students and the community,” Stiehl said. The students gain experience and the county’s medical personnel are not spread so thinly as they try to administer the vaccination while still needing to attend to patients at doctor offices, health clinics and the hospital. Ivy Kent, a first-year nursing student who has been participating in the vaccination events, noted that medication administration is a significant part of her training to become a nurse. The experience of administering intramuscular injections while being aware of the needs of the patients will make her and the other nursing students even more prepared once they enter the nursing workforce. These real-life experiences also help the students develop competencies in critical thinking, time management, safety, detail attentiveness, effective paperwork review and accurate documentation. “It provides a level of confidence when we get an opportunity to participate,” Kent said. “It’s been an awesome experience to be able to communicate with patients, learn how to take care of the vaccine and observe for reactions. More experience is always better.” Helping people and being able to connect with them are a couple of reasons Kent decided to become a nurse. Stiehl expects that the students will continue to have more involvement as the semester continues and additional rounds of the vaccine are available, so the Fallon community will continue to benefit from the efforts of WNC nursing students. “It’s one more reason why this rural college is important,” Stiehl said. “We’re a resource for the community. The nursing students truly are an investment in the community.” Late-Start Online Classes Coming in March Are you dismayed that you didn’t register for classes in time for spring semester at Western Nevada College, or is there a class that didn’t fit into your schedule? Well, you are in luck! Just because you missed the start of spring semester last month doesn’t mean you can’t take classes in the coming months. Short-term and accelerated classes will be offered online starting in March that will accommodate an individual’s busy work and family schedule. The range of late-start online offerings includes biology, aviation, advanced industrial technology, chemistry, political science, deaf studies, early childhood education, computer information technology classes, and more. For a full list of classes and course descriptions, go to wnc.edu/class-schedule/. For information about becoming a student at WNC, go to www.wnc.edu/starthere. Here are the late-start classes that WNC is offering this spring — most of which begin on March 29 and end on May 22: • American Sign Language I (AM 145) and IV (AM 148): Starts March 29 • Instrument Ground School (AV 210): Starts March 29 • Fundamentals of Applied Industrial Technology (AIT 101): Starts March 29 • Applied Industrial Technology Hands-On Lab (AIT 155): Starts March 29 Note: AIT 101 is a prerequisite or co-requisite class • Applied Industrial Technology Projects (AIT 200): Starts March 29 • Human Anatomy & Physiology II (BIOL 224): Starts March 30 • General Chemistry II (CHEM 122): Starts March 29 • Introduction to IT Project Management (CIT 263): Starts March 29 • Career Choices and Changes (CPD 123): Starts March 29 • Principles of Child Guidance (ECE 204): Starts March 29 • Life Span Human Development (HDFS 201): Starts March 29 • Changing Environments (MGT 462): Starts March 29 • Nevada Constitution (PSC 100): Starts March 29 Apply for Spring Graduation by Friday, March 19 Each Western Nevada College student seeking a degree or certificate of achievement is required to submit an online application for graduation to Admission and Records. Friday, March 19 is the deadline to apply for spring graduation. To fill out an application to graduate this semester, go to wnc.edu/admissions/graduation/. Contact Admissions and Records at 775-445-3277 to check on your graduation status. Last year, WNC honored its graduating students in the early months of a health pandemic by holding drive-through graduation ceremonies in Carson City and Fallon. With the coronavirus still limiting the number of attendees at community events, WNC is planning to hold drive-through graduation ceremonies again this spring. Deadline Nearing for Students to Apply for Scholarships The deadline for students to apply for scholarships through Western Nevada College Foundation is only a little over a month away. More than $600,000 in scholarship funding is available for the 2021-22 academic year because of the generosity of donors and the Foundation’s various fundraising efforts. Students will be considered for several hundred scholarships with one, easy application as long it is completed by April 1. The WNC Foundation 2021-22 scholarship application is available online at http://wnc.edu/scholarships. “The application usually takes about 30 minutes to fill out and includes questions that help the scholarship committee determine which students qualify for each scholarship,” said WNC Foundation Executive Director Niki Gladys. WNC Foundation provides academic scholarships in partnership with WNC employees, community members, corporations and private foundations. All students are encouraged to apply. To qualify for a foundation scholarship, students need to enroll in a minimum of six units and have earned a minimum grade point average of 2.0. Some scholarships require financial need, which means that students should make sure to complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). However, there are many scholarships that do not require a financial need and are awarded based on other factors including community service, military service, academic achievement and career plans. For this reason, all students are encouraged to apply regardless of financial need or past academic performance. For more information on applying for a scholarship or to start your own scholarship, contact the WNC Foundation at 775-445-3240.
