Nursing students in the University of Virginia’s Class of 2023 have lived through the full breadth of the COVID-19 pandemic—from the first cases being detected overseas in 2019 to the end of the federal public health emergency in May. It’s been a long and rugged road for the entire world, but the nursing students experienced the past four years from a unique vantage point. The nature of their work and studies required them to come into direct contact with COVID patients, and to return to in-person learning sooner than students in other programs.
“We were very privileged students to have more classes in person,” says Anna Linehan, who graduates from UVA School of Nursing on May 20. “We can’t learn to put in a catheter without being in person. It just doesn’t work over Zoom.”
Fellow graduating senior Hunter Saunders served as a patient care technician in the medical intensive care unit at UVA Hospital before students were allowed to work with COVID patients during clinicals. Being immersed in that fast-moving environment, where “the [COVID] guidelines changed week to week,” says Saunders, was an invaluable experience.
“I learned so many aspects of patient care doing that,” he adds. “And I think that it was almost a little odd that hospital policy tended to keep nursing students out, because as soon as you graduate with that license, you don’t get held back from anything. You are in that situation fully.”
Crystal Zhang, another graduating senior, worked with COVID patients during her own clinical rotations. She remains vigilant about the virus. “For now, I just feel like it doesn’t hurt me to wear my mask all the time,” says Zhang. “I’m still feeling like all I can do right now is to protect myself. … Especially when we work with patients who are … immunocompromised.”
Hands-on work remains a key appeal of nursing for these students as they prepare to take their NCLEX licensure exams. Linehan initially wanted to be a physician’s assistant, and enrolled in UVA’s College of Arts and Sciences as a chemistry major. But when she saw that her friends in the School of Nursing were participating in clinicals and lab work as undergrads—and would graduate with a license to practice—she decided to transfer into the nursing program.
“Coming from the College of Arts and Sciences, I felt a lot of cutthroat-ness to get to the top,” says Linehan. “But I think everybody in nursing is here to support each other, and we all want to end up being nurses and support our peers to also become great nurses.”
Saunders identifies the support of the UVA community during the past four years as transcendent. “Whether it be COVID or gun violence, knowing how those feel first-hand … knowing how we’ve made it through and how we’ve been there for each other has been something that I think I’ll carry through into my adult life,” he says.
After graduation, the students will go their separate ways. Zhang will return to her alma mater to work in UVA Health’s medical ICU, while Saunders will move to Washington, D.C., to work at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in the medical cardiovascular ICU. Linehan, who participated in Air Force ROTC all four years at UVA, is preparing to move across the country—first to training in San Antonio, Texas, before being stationed at Travis Air Force Base in California as an Air Force nurse.
Crossing the country will be a big next step, but Linehan says she’s excited. “I don’t really know what to expect, so I think that’s part of the fun in it.”
Even though Zhang will remain at UVA, this time as a staff member, she expresses that she’s going to miss “everything” about her undergraduate experience.
“I think I’m a quite lucky person. Everybody I’ve met since I came to the United States has been super nice,” she says. “I feel really supported the 11 years that I am here, and especially in UVA. Not just the nursing school, but in my clinical rotations, in my practicum.”
Moving north to a much more urban locale means Saunders will miss the easy access to nature that Charlottesville has. “Being able to just grab your group of friends and just say, ‘Hey, let’s go explore nature,’ and it’s a four minute drive maybe is something I think I’m gonna miss,” he says.
Marianne Baernholdt, dean of the UVA School of Nursing and the Sadie Heath Cabaniss Professor of Nursing, urged her students to stay in touch with each other.
“I still have people that I call up when things get tough,” she says. “The relationships you’ve formed here, keep them close.”
“Remember,” Baernholdt stressed to the three graduating students, “you can do anything in nursing.”