The Covid-19 pandemic flipped student’s worlds completely upside-down this year. Out of all students affected on college campuses across the world, pre-med and health students were directly faced with this new major virus. Would they continue to graduate on time without the clinical experience? Would they return to learning in a hospital’s environment during the pandemic? I talked with Chloe Caruso, a radiography student in central Florida, about her experience as a health student during this pandemic. Here’s how it went:
Her Campus (HC): What are you going to school for and what school do you attend?
Chloe Caruso (CC): I am a student in the Halifax Health Radiography program which is accredited by Daytona State College.
HC: How would you describe your school-life before the Covid-19 pandemic?
CC: School before the pandemic hit was a big challenge for me, academically and mentally. The program was more time-consuming than any other type of schooling I’ve done in the past and the standards were set very high compared to the basic pre-requisite classes I took at the college previously.
HC: When the pandemic first began, were you scared about how this would affect your schooling or even your own health? What went through your head?
CC: When the pandemic first hit, my first thought was, “Oh my God… Am I going to graduate or is this all over for me?” I immediately knew they were going to remove us from the hospital for our safety, which I was thankful for, but I also had mixed emotions about the situation. Yes, of course, I was scared at first. I think we all can say that. But, at some point in the middle of the pandemic, I was ready to brave it out and go back to clinicals at the hospital in hopes of making it through the program and graduating on time. As for my health, I was not super concerned about catching Covid and having symptoms myself. I was more worried about bringing it home to my family.
HC: What measures have changed as a result of the pandemic?
CC: One thing our radiography program is so well known for is the number of clinical hours students get under their belt before graduation. Once this pandemic hit, students were taken out of the hospitals due to a shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment) and for our own safety. We also discontinued face-to-face classroom lectures and moved the program entirely online. That lasted for a few months.
HC: Do you feel like your college or university did a good job of keeping students who are in the health field safe?
CC: I would say our program directors and hospital management did a good job of keeping the students safe. Unfortunately, that meant removing us from the hospital setting until it was safe to come back and they could make sure they had enough PPE for all employees and students before we returned. They eventually did and once students were back at the hospital, we were not allowed to go into any Covid isolation rooms in order to decrease our chance of being exposed to the virus.
HC: Much of the experience you gain is attained by going into hospitals and working alongside doctors and with various patients. Do you feel as though you might have missed out by learning remotely for a certain period of time?
CC: Although we did miss several weeks of clinicals, I am thankful for the program I’m in and the awesome instructors who work very hard to make sure we don’t miss out on anything, even during this pandemic. Once we returned, instead of having clinical shifts three days per week and class two days per week, they arranged it so we had clinicals four days per week and only one in-class day to allow us to gain more hands-on experience.
HC: Obviously we never saw this pandemic coming. Since we’ve learned to adapt, how do you feel about your college experience now?
CC: At this point in the pandemic, everything is actually back to normal for us students. We are now allowed to go into isolation rooms with all of the proper required PPE. Our schedule is back to normal. And we, along with every other health care worker, are just learning to deal with the “new normal” of living during a pandemic. I do not feel cheated in any way. It’s not anyone’s fault this is happening and I’m very happy with how my program is pushing forward. We still have an expected graduation date of December 2021 and I want to keep it that way, even if it means working in a hospital during a pandemic!
HC: What is one thing you are looking forward to in the rest of your college experience?
CC: I am eager to graduate and begin the real work inside my field. We still have an expected graduation date of December 2021 and I want to keep it that way, even if it means working in a hospital during a pandemic!
Thank you, Chloe, for taking the time to speak with us today! Us gals at Her Campus appreciate the risks you take to learn in this environment. Huge shout out to all of the pre-med and health students out there.
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