A partnership with St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital aims to give nursing students real life experience.

Patricia Facquet, the chair of St. Francis College's Nursing Department, says the school had to rearrange its curriculum when the pandemic hit.

"When COVID first hit, no health professions could go into the hospital for their education except for med students," she says.

Facquet says constant planning and partnerships still continued, including a plan with NewYork-Presbyterian as the hospital started bringing students back in.

"NYP actually realized they needed to create some type of mechanism to get nursing students into the hospitals to help them out," she says.

A call went out in December to the nursing schools for student nurses and nurse assistants.

"I sent the email out and within 45 minutes, I had over 30 people," Facquet says.  

Because the program worked out so well the first time, Facquet says another call went out to students.

Meaghen Shevlin, a nursing student at St. Francis College, says she eagerly applied for the program.

"You help with delivering blood work, picking up blood, all the basic needs, maybe help turning a patient," she says. "I am so grateful for the opportunity because it made me realize that I am meant to do this for the rest of my life."