Pre-health and nursing students have faced unprecedented obstacles pursuing their degrees during a global pandemic. But, as featured in a recent story by CBS 11 News, students at TCU are staying motivated.

“We have some great partners who have really helped us pivot quickly to our virtual environments,” said Matt Chumchal, professor and director of the Pre-Health Professions Institute.

He credits partners like the Moncrief Cancer Institute for making sure students still received valuable experience by reworking internship opportunities and the like.

Kevin Chao, senior biology major, said he may not graduate with the résumé he expected but he is finding there may be more to it.

“Maybe you can get that ideal education, showing that you can adapt, showing that you are still interested in stepping up, even during a pandemic,” he said.

Laura Marines, nursing student, agrees.

“The pandemic has shown us more than anything why we really want to be nurses,” she said.

Suzy Lockwood, associate dean for nursing and nurse anesthesia of the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, said the infrastructure at TCU allowed her students to be successful.

“We’re very lucky in that we have a very large, very state-of-the-art simulation center, and so our students were able to do more of that,” she said.  

View the full story from CBS 11.