FSW nursing students get protective headbands to nurses, ready to join them

Reporter: Breana Ross Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published:
FSW nursing student Jessica Epstein holds PPE headbands she and other students are donating to nurses at Lee Health facilities. Credit: Shared with WINK News.

It might be easy to assume there is fear among FSW nursing students who will graduate in the next few weeks and begin their careers during the coronavirus pandemic. But one student we spoke to said they are not letting fear get in the way of their future. And they’ve come up with a way to help nurses who are already on the front lines.

Nursing student Jessica Epstein says nursing is what she and her classmates at FSW were born to do. She and her peers are already supporting nurses in the field by helping them get their hands on much-needed personal protective equipment.

“I think it’s just something that is a huge calling, and I think all of our class has that calling,” Epstein said.

It’s a calling that she says can’t be deterred by a pandemic.

“It’s what we get into nursing to do,” Epstein said.

And it’s a calling that has already led her and her cohort of around 40 students to find a way to help nurses at Lee Health, who they could soon call coworkers.

The group Epstein is involved in created a GoFundMe page to raise money for headbands with buttons sewn on either side. This is so nurses can safely and comfortably secure their masks.

“A lot of the employees are now wearing masks the entire time they’re on shift,” Epstein said. “And it will just help with any skin breakdown, a lot of injury to behind the ear, and I think it also helps to fix it onto your face a bit more reliably then just putting it behind your ears.”

So far, the students have bought 700 headbands, and they’ve raised their goal to $3,000 to assist more nurses.

“The nursing staff is definitely very appreciative,” Epstein said. “Alot of them are really seeking out these headbands to try to help them.”

Lee Health expressed its appreciation for the students’ efforts in a tweet. It said say so many nurses have been asking the community to make the headbands, and that nursing students at FSW are truly making a difference.

And Epstein says even more help is on the way.

“We’re doing everything we can to get graduated and take our board exams and pass as soon as possible,” Epstein said. “We are inspired by them, and we look forward to working with them”

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