GCSOM medical student administers his 100th COVID-19 vaccine
Kenneth Lam, a fourth-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine’s (GCSOM) Atlantic City campus, recently achieved an important milestone. On Dec. 29 he administered his 100th COVID-19 vaccine to fellow GCSOM student, Rachel Fulton.
In between his responsibilities as a busy medical student, Kenneth volunteered to help administer COVID vaccines at his clinical site. He says he was inspired by his attending physicians and residents to do everything necessary to fight the pandemic and to demonstrate that he and other health professionals trust the science behind vaccines.
“At first, entering the clinical environment for rotations while COVID-19 was raging was a little scary,” he said. “But seeing how prepared the hospital was and the confidence our attendings displayed gave us confidence. We could see that, with the proper precautions, the virus can be contained. When the second wave hit, it was a bit unnerving. But, again, we got such great mentoring, we were all reassured.”
Kenneth said he and his fellow students were excited by the news that the Pfizer vaccine had arrived at their hospital. He received his second and final dose of the vaccine on Jan. 5 and has been busily vaccinating frontline workers, including staff from environmental services, nurses and doctors. “I’ve even vaccinated some of my own preceptors,” he said. “We have eight vaccinations stations and on some days I was administering as many as 25 vaccines each shift. I hit 100 vaccines on Dec. 29.”
“In the end, I hope that healthcare workers receiving the vaccine proves that we believe it is safe and effective,” he said. “I want to reassure the public that despite any hesitancy they might have about getting the shot, they can trust the science.”
