Memorial Day 2021 Issue

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Jutta Braun at one of the nursing labs at County College of Morris. Kathy Prokop outside the vaccination center at Rockaway Townsquare. Bernadette Schicho in class at County College of Morris. CCM Nurses are Hands-on at Area COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics It’s no secret this pandemic has been a “stepup-to-the-plate,” “all-in” or any other cliché you can think of kind of experience. And there is no exception when it comes to our first line of defense—healthcare professionals, and specifically, nurses. At County College of Morris, the education of a new generation of nurses has continued as they train amid a real-life crisis. Students have had a front-row seat not only in their studies but in the role that the college has taken in the fight against COVID-19, according to Kathleen Brunet, CCM’s director of marketing and public relations. “When COVID-19 first arrived in New Jersey, nursing faculty and other CCM professors and students, staff and alumni provided much-needed assistance by serving on the front lines, making masks and face shields and offering other help where needed,” Brunet said. But it didn’t stop there. Once a vaccine became available, four members of CCM’s Department of Nursing began volunteering at vaccine sites. Bernadette Schicho, 59, of Blairstown, knew she had to be part of getting that potentially life-saving dose into as many arms as possible. When the opportunity came in mid-January from the Warren County Medical Reserve Corps, she immediately responded, “Sign me up.” Schicho, an assistant professor of nursing, is currently unaffiliated with a hospital but said she still feels a strong desire to help others. “I can and so I should,” she said. She found herself at the firehouse in Belvidere among volunteers ranging from nursing students to retired doctors and said the facility is well run and organized, though demand has slowed. As a role model to her students, Schicho said playing her part in fighting the disease reinforces the idea that nursing isn’t just about caring for sick patients. “Volunteering is something to aspire to when they become nurses,” she said. “It gives them a sense of responsibility of service to your 18 Story by MELISSA SUMMERS Photos by KAREN FUCITO LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2021 community.” Nursing Professor Kathy Prokop, 55, of Florham Park, read about the need for volunteers and registered with the Morris County Medical Reserve Corps. “I believe in the vaccine, and I want to help get it out there,” she said. In February, she began working in conjunction with Atlantic Health System to support the pre- and post-vaccination screening at the Rockaway Mall Regional Vaccination Center. Prokop, who has taught at CCM for 28 years, said it’s been difficult to adjust to primarily virtual learning. “I’m with my students in the hospitals when we do clinicals, but I miss being in the classroom, I miss having interaction, and this is one way to have that,” she said. “I’m a healthy person, and I can go ahead and do my part, as small as it is. It’s still doing something.” In the first few months of the pandemic, when Prokop and her students were not allowed to visit the hospitals, it was hard for her not to be on the front lines. “I’ve gone to the same unit at St. Barnabas with my students for the past 20 years, and I felt like I couldn’t do my part.” Instead, she visited weekly, even though she wasn’t allowed in, leaving snacks and other goodies for the staffers she had partnered with. One thing Prokop brings from the vaccine site back to her students is the chance to experience the public health side of medicine and even the SUMMER CLEANING • MULTI SERVICE DISCOUNTS
misinformation that’s out there. “Being at the clinic, I can help educate the people coming through to the best of my ability,” she said. “The more you can educate them, the less fearful they are.” Two other CCM nursing professors are volunteering at another vaccine administration site at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta. Professor Laura Parker, 60, of Sparta is a longtime volunteer with the Sussex County Medical Reserve Corps. She had trained with the American Red Cross but wanted to handle more tasks in healthcare. One of her first stints was offering vaccinations during the swine flu pandemic. When COVID-19 struck, Parker began by working in a call center, but when the vaccine became available in New Jersey in January, she was excited to shift to the vaccine site. And she saw an opportunity to get her students motivated to serve their community. “I was able to get my whole class signed up for the Medical Reserve,” she said. As students, they won’t be able to administer vaccines but can assist or handle the paperwork. “I don’t know that anyone has been called yet, but they are ready.” Parker said the prospect of being involved with such a massive undertaking can’t be duplicated in a classroom. “They’ll gain knowledge of how the public health system works and understanding of how a big vaccination effort happens,” she said. Parker said she has made her family proud and takes pride in her role as a volunteer. “I feel really good about the impact I’ve made,” she said. “It really is fun, and you feel like you’re making a difference. It makes me happy.” Professor Jutta Braun, 65, of Stockholm, is also volunteering at the Sussex Fairgrounds site. As a member of the Sussex Medical Reserve Corps for more than 10 years, she’s been a part of multiple deployments after natural disasters but said the pandemic has presented a unique opportunity to connect her students with the health crisis. “Everything you do as a nurse, you bring back to them,” she said. Prokop is worried about the toll the pandemic will take on those still working to save lives and the impact that will have on new nurses. “They are beyond exhausted,” she said. “I’m afraid there won’t be as many experienced staff members to help the new grads, who haven’t had the educational experience they would have had a few years ago.” Students are embracing the reality of how COVID-19 has shaped and will continue to shape their careers in medicine but are concerned that they won’t be fully equipped with interpersonal skills, according to Braun. “They are worried about not having enough clinical experience,” she said. It has motivated the students to continue to work towards their goals, according to Prokop. “The students want to get out there and start working,” she said. “For many of them, it’s their dream. Even though there is a pandemic going on, it hasn’t deterred them.” KatzsMarinaAtTheCove.com Prokop said COVID-19 has also had an impact on CCM’s nursing curriculum. “We’ve added more about infectious disease, emphasizing PPE [personal protective equipment], as well as student support groups,” she said. “There are students who have fears about going into the hospital, and we have to discuss that and prepare them.” There is so much to do in nursing, Parker said, that even students with concerns about different aspects of the job can find their paths. “If you want to take care of babies, you take care of babies. If you want to care for new mothers, that’s who you take care of. If you want to give vaccines in the public health realm, you can do that.” Life will go on thanks to the efforts of our frontline workers. And educators are making sure the next generation is well prepared simply by showing them how it’s done. 22 Stonehenge Road, Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849 ~ 973.663.0024 WORLD CLASS BOATS, WORLD CLASS SERVICE, WORLD CLASS FUN. From pontoon boats to rare antique and classic boats, Katz’s Marina is your home for world class service and sales. With a selection of over 100 Chris Craft, Gar Wood, Century, and Higgins antique and classic boats, as well as the top rated 2021 model pontoon boats, Katz’s Marina is sure to help you find a boat to satisfy all your needs. We are the only antique boat dealer with a one year warranty on boat sales and services. Katz’s Marina offers boat repairs, preventative maintenance, and refinishing services on all boats, new and old. Do you want to spend your summer on the water? Let one of our two convenient marinas be your home for fun! AntiqueBoatSales.com 342 Lakeside Ave., Hopatcong NJ 07843 973-663-3214 KatzMarinaAtTheCove.com 22 Stonehendge Rd., Lake Hopatcong NJ 07849 973-663-0024 lakehopatcongnews.com 19
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