CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Michelle Scoggins and Sara Slowinski are preparing for graduation from TAMU-CC this weekend, but are also ready to work the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They both entered nursing school during the height of the pandemic and are going into the workforce as the Delta variant spreads quickly across the Coastal Bend; Scoggins said she is ready.
"My personal thing is one mountain top to the next, and you have to not look at that mountain as a mountain but look at your next step you are going to take," she said. "And that is the same with nursing, don't look at 'I'm going to work in a room full of COVID patients' but 'I'm going to work and when you get to work, I'm going to that room, what do I need'."
Slowinski said that although they have been immensely trained for COVID-19, it is important to note that they are also trained for other situations that may arise.
"I know that when I am going to be working, I am going to be working with people's parent's, their mom and their dad, their loved one, " Slowinskie said. "My goal is to take care of them as best as I can so they can go home."
Dr. Bunny Forgione said that these nurses have been properly trained and are ready to get to work.
"They have been learning about COVID, about infections, during there entire career, " she said. "They are ready to work if they are graduating Saturday, they can go to work on Sunday."