When a disaster strikes, those who have made a commitment to care for the health and well-being of others are often the first to lend a hand.

This semester, Indiana University Northwest School of Nursing students have embodied this truism, and learned valuable life lessons, by serving on the front lines to control the spread of COVID-19.

In August, Indiana University began an ambitious mitigation testing program, one of the largest in the state and among the most robust of any university system.

Mitigation testing, sometimes referred to as surveillance testing, is the process of identifying and isolating people who test positive for COVID-19, including asymptomatic carriers of the disease—and its an important component of IU’s outbreak containment strategy. Knowing how the virus may be spreading, including early detection of potential "COVID clusters,” helps determine whether or not IU can continue to provide in-person classes. To date, IU has been conducting about 15,000 tests per week.

“Above all, the health and safety of our campus community comes first,” said Linda Delunas, interim dean of the IU Northwest College of Health and Human Services, professor, and director of the School of Nursing. “Without mitigation testing, the university has no way to identify asymptomatic cases before they spread to others.”

Mitigation testing combines random testing of all members of the campus community with more intensive testing of those who may, for different reasons, be more vulnerable. As a result, some faculty, staff, and students may be called for mitigation testing more than once throughout the semester.

A rare opportunity 

At IU Northwest, a large testing facility has been erected in the Moraine Student Center where hundreds of people are tested each week. The facility is operated entirely by the School of Nursing and staffed mostly by third- and fourth-year nursing students. Clinical Assistant Professor Jo Newman, a master’s degree-prepared nurse, supervises the program and student teams.

While the mitigation testing program is managed at the university-level by the IU Medical Response Team, it’s wide scope and reliance on local data provides students on-the-ground with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn firsthand about public health and disease prevention. Working in the testing center “is a great way to learn,” said nursing student Lauren Dermody, “and has been an excellent way for me to gain hands-on experience.”

According to the students, most of their patients have been friendly and helpful, but some need a little extra attention to overcome test anxiety. “Working directly with people allows the students to practice their communication and trouble-shooting skills” said Delunas. “It also helps them make the connection between what they are learning and the important role nurses play in public health efforts.”

Nursing student Kelly Franklin agrees. “This experience has helped me get ready for future disaster preparedness nursing. I will now feel more confident in a sudden emergency, when I have to set up field work quickly, and treat people on-the-spot. I’m really grateful.”

In addition to collecting test samples from 30 to 65 patients on each day of testing, the students are involved in coordinating schedules, registering participants, and stocking the testing center with equipment and supplies. After each shift, they huddle as a group to review what went well, what could be improved, and what to plan for during their next shift.

“The students are learning leadership, management, organizational skills and more, all right here on campus” added Delunas. She explained that the pandemic has caused many of the area hospitals to reduce the number of students who are able to visit their sites for clinical experience, so the mitigation testing center on campus has helped fill in the gap for a lot of students seeking clinical hours to graduate.

“The chance to gain clinical experience during the pandemic is a unique and rare opportunity,” said Delunas, “and I feel like it’s something the students will never forget.”