Let them give smallpox shots, professionals urge...

Nursing students cannot stand guard over national landmarks or join an invasion. But some Milwaukee healthcare leaders say the students do have another skill to offer in America's war on terrorism: They know how to vaccinate people.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 26, 2003

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/feb03/121230.asp

isn't the smallpox vaccine different than an injection?

Giving injections is a simple technical skill, I agree. But would they know how to treat anaphylaxis?

Iit would have to be a major public health crisis or emergency before I'd be inclined to think this was a good idea.

The article says "an ideal source of an emergency work force, should thousands of people need to be vaccinated in a crisis", not "we should let students be the ones to routinely give this vaccine to whoever needs it."

In an emergency, I would be all for it. We were talked to about it at work, as we would be used. An RN would oversee all of us. They said it would only be those of us who are Student Nurse Interns, not CNA's in nursing school. So, it would only be the seniors where I work.

Kristy