Concordia student will give vaccine at 1st community-based clinic

MEQUON, Wis. - Wisconsin's first community-based COVID-19 vaccination clinic opens Feb. 16 near Janesville. When the vaccination clinic opens at Blackhawk Technical College, a Concordia University student will be part of the team putting shots into arms.

"She’ll be there as the clinic is getting up and running, and they’re troubleshooting all of their processes and giving that very first round of vaccines," said Melissa Theesfeld, director of experiential education for the school of pharmacy at Concordia.

The company contracted to run the clinic, Ami Expeditionary Healthcare, reached out to Concordia to ask whether any students were interested in the opportunity. 

Concordia student will administer COVID vaccine at community-based clinic in Janesville

"And as luck happened, we had a student whose original rotation placement fell through and we needed a spot for her to go," said Theesfeld.

AMI Senior Operations Manager Dan Beck said the student will be the first of many from pharmacy and nursing programs around Wisconsin working at the Rock County site. 

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"To help grow the capacity here within the state to meet this tremendous public health challenge," said Beck.

Theesfeld said not only does student participation exponentially increase the number of vaccinators available, noting "a huge need for pharmacists," the opportunity to be on the front lines of the pandemic helps prepare them for what it means to be a pharmacist in today's world.  

"To see what it takes to run a clinic like this, and how can you scale up an operation like that so quickly and then replicate it in other parts of the state, as well," said Theesfeld.

The state hopes to eventually open six to 10 similar vaccination clinics as vaccine supply increases.