University of South Carolina College of Nursing, Faculty and Students Honored by American Association of Nurse Practitioners for Life-Saving Efforts During COVID-19

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Nurse Practitioners^® (AANP) honored the life-saving efforts of University of South Carolina (UofSC) College of Nursing faculty and students for the thousands of volunteer hours they have spent administering COVID-19 vaccines to South Carolinians.

AANP President April N. Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN, representing the nation's 325,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, presented an AANP certificate of recognition to UofSC College of Nursing leaders and students at the UofSC Center for Health and Well-Being in Columbia, South Carolina. The Center is a state-of-the-art facility staffed by NPs and other top performing health care professionals who deliver high-quality care to students, faculty and members of the greater Columbia community.

"University of South Carolina nursing students and faculty have volunteered nearly 7,000 hours of service to vaccinate South Carolinians at COVID-19 mass vaccination clinics across the state," said Dr. Kapu. "Their commitment, compassion and courage in the face of an unprecedented public health crisis reflect the true spirit of nursing and of the NP profession. We cannot thank them enough for their life-saving assistance to patients, and we want them to know how proud they have made our nation's NPs. These students, and faculty mentors, represent the very best of nursing and of the NP profession. Their dedication during a public health crisis gives me every confidence in the future of health care and the nursing profession."

At the start of UofSC's spring semester in January 2021, the College of Nursing launched a massive effort to support statewide vaccinations. The first 51 students arrived on the opening day of the Prisma Health Midlands vaccination site. Based on the overwhelming demand for vaccinations, 670 UofSC nursing students and 66 faculty members answered the call, delivering vaccines at nine Midlands vaccination sites and volunteering 6,839 hours.

Dr. Kapu toured the UofSC University Health Services Center for Health and Well-Being before presenting the AANP certificate of recognition to UofSC NPs and nursing students. To obtain photos of the tour and presentation or arrange for an interview with Dr. Kapu, please contact Andrew Lee at [email protected] 

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners^® (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 325,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs' patients and other health care consumers. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner^®, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. To locate an NP in your community, visit npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org. For COVID-19 information from AANP, visit aanp.org/COVID19.

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SOURCE American Association of Nurse Practitioners