NCCU helps nursing students care for their mental health during pandemic

Nurses are going above and beyond to provide care during the pandemic, but who is caring for them? North Carolina Central University recognized this concern, and is doing something about it.

Posted 9:18 p.m. May 27, 2021 — Updated 10:29 p.m. May 27, 2021

Lora Lavigne

, WRAL Durham reporter

Nurses are going above and beyond to provide care during the pandemic, but who is caring for them? North Carolina Central University recognized this concern, and is doing something about it.

The university is ramping up efforts to improve mental health for nurses, starting with students in the classroom.

The pandemic has taken a huge toll on nursing students. The university’s new first-aid training not only gives them the tools to take care of others, but now they have to learn how to take care of themselves.

From classes to clinicals, the life of a nursing student is a constant balancing act.

“Nursing is something that I’ve always wanted to do. It took me different routes to get here but I’m doing it,” said Ashley Sherman, an NCCU nursing student.

The senior said exhaustion and even depression have been common to feel this past year.

“It was tough trying to work full-time and go to school full-time and kind of manage outside roles,” Sherman said.

Department Chair Yolanda Vanriel said taking care of mental health first is essential to balancing it all.

“I hope that 1) it will highlight the awareness; 2) remove the stigma; and 3) let them know that it’s OK to discuss,” Vanriel said.

That’s why a new peer mentoring program has come to NCCU. It is the result of the COVID Rapid Response Grant supported by Clinical Scholars from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Mental health first aid training is now available to help students learn how tackle this issue.

“They can attend the peer support group once weekly, once biweekly, so they can have a safe place to share their experiences and support each other mentally and also academically,” said Lily Chen, the project director of the Peer Mentoring Support Program.

The training focuses on a variety of things from how to visualize signs, when to know when someone’s health is declining and how to overcome stress and anxiety.

“I hope that their stress level decrease and they feel better supported,” added Chen.

“It can be self-care, words of affirmation for yourself, or just doing something for your health to improve your own well-being,” said Sherman.

Sherman is now a peer mentor herself. She said as the pandemic highlighted the disproportionate impact in minority communities, it was especially important for her to overcome her personal battle and to lead by example.

“I want to make a change, and I want to be that change even as a minority nurse. We need more minority nurses, and I want somebody to be able to look up and say, 'Hey, she did it. I can do it too,'” she added.

The university plans to hold virtual first-aid training as well in the near future to extend this to more students, faculty and staff.

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