Skip to main content
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals
Menu

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission
    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Curriculum and Catalogs
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
  • Financial Aid
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Scholarships and Grants
      • Scholarships
      • Federal and State Grants
      • Applying for Federal Aid
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
  • Why Chamberlain
    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership and Faculty
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni

Mobile Secondary Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Mobile Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Prospective Students
  • Transfers
  • Military
  • Alumni
  • Partners
  • Employers

Top Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Information For
    • Current Students
    • Prospective Students
    • Transfers
    • Military
    • Alumni
    • Partners
    • Employers
  • Chat
  • 877.751.5783
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission

    Admission

    Our team is with you every step of the way, providing the information you need to make the decisions that best serve you.

    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Curriculum and Catalogs
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Financial Aid

    Financial Aid

    Get support as you navigate paying for your education. Request information to connect with our admission team to discuss your financial options.

    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Scholarships and Grants
      • Scholarships
      • Federal and State Grants
      • Applying for Federal Aid
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Why Chamberlain

    Why Chamberlain

    Chamberlain University has a 130-year history preparing extraordinary nursing graduates and healthcare professionals. 

    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership and Faculty
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

Secondary Header Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Featured

""
Alumni Impact: Five Ways Chamberlain…
Teacher with glasses in front of an easel with a note pad
5 Great Reasons Students Are Turning to…
Smiling women in bright red blouse on her laptop at a local coffee shop
Five Highlights of Chamberlain’s Master…

Tags

Browse articles by category
Alumni
Campus News
Careers
Health Professions
Nursing Today
Tips for Students

Share

Blog Social Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Home / Blog / Nursing Today / Chamberlain Grad Shares her Experience Receiving COVID-19 Vaccination

Chamberlain Grad Shares her Experience Receiving COVID-19 Vaccination

December 17, 2020 by Mary Beth Sammons
chamberlain nurse covid vaccine

As Tiffany Pugh, MPH, RNC-MNN and her husband Jeff, a hospital chaplain, waited in line Tuesday in the cafeteria at Northwest Texas Healthcare System (NWTHS) to receive one of the United States’ first COVID-19 vaccines, she says she felt “a glimmer of hope” for the first time since March. That’s when the COVID-19 tornado hit and her role as an accreditation manager at the 495-bed Amarillo, Texas, hospital pivoted from quality control and policy making, to donning full-on PPE at patient bedsides to help families devastated by the pandemic say goodbye to their loved ones, mostly on iPads.   

Pugh, a 2019 graduate of Chamberlain’s Master of Public Health program, says being one of the first front-line workers to be inoculated was so emotional because of all those families she has witnessed making their final goodbyes to loved ones.  

“It has been really hard seeing people losing hope and being there at the end-of-life visits,” says the mother of two, who was a bedside nurse for 17 years before receiving her master’s in public health. “As nurses we see a lot, but I’ve never experienced anything as devastating as what COVID-19 has done to patients and their families. The vaccine is a victory of sorts in that I hope it means we can get this under control and that nurses will not have to watch so many families say goodbye. I was excited to get the vaccine, because it is a humanitarian thing to do and a sign that if we all do our part and try to help someone else, there is hope.”  

Pugh, along with her husband, the hospital’s chaplain, were among the first members of Amarillo’s two hospitals to receive the vaccine. She will receive the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in 21 days.  

“Excited to be part of public health history today! COVID vaccine. Helping in COVID units every day,” she wrote in Chamberlain’s MPH Facebook group.  

For Pugh, the last nine months since COVID-19 began have been especially grueling. Her post at the hospital evolves almost daily as the COVID-19 cases have significantly strained hospital resources -- but she is quick to point out that the frontline staff caring for patients are doing the hardest work. The city of Amarillo’s public health department reported an increase of 282 COVID-19 cases from Monday in Tuesday’s report card, bringing the area’s total to 27,279 total cases from the start of the pandemic. Out of the total, 6,522 are currently active, according to the Amarillo Globe News.  

At the start of the pandemic last March, Pugh became part of what she’s calling the hospital’s COVID-19 Command Center, charged with calling patients to report positive results for their COVID-19 tests and walking them through quarantining and other protocols.  

“You can imagine how much anxiety there was when people were told they have positive results,” she says.  

That role quickly evolved with the 15-minute rapid testing results. Soon, her role transitioned to end-of-life bedside care, where donning full PPE, she would meet with a couple family members of patients who were dying as they said goodbye in person for the last time.  

“We were having no visitors for COVID-19 patients, but our hospital decided that they would allow small numbers of family members to come and don PPE, just like nurses and doctors, and get to say goodbye,” she says. “The hardest ones to witness were hospital staff I knew, nurses who were working in med-surg or other floors and had a family member dying in the ICU. And so many elderly patients who were so scared. We now have an iPad program that I work with to connect COVID-19 patients with their families because the communication is so, so important.”  

She says she has been able to cope with the stress thanks to the emotional and spiritual conversations, advice and support she’s received from her chaplain husband and through lots of physical exercise, especially long hikes in the woods and nature. 

Prior to earning her MPH, Pugh worked in maternity with newborns and their mothers. She was drawn to the public health aspects of helping expectant moms who were from lower socioeconomic groups stay healthy before, during and after giving birth. 

“I was drawn to the public health aspects, but never could I have imagined what COVID-19 would mean for public health,” she says. The lessons learned from COVID: “Public health and leadership is so important when you are confronted with something as devastating as this COVID-19 crisis. Good leadership is vital to staying on top of it.” 

Meanwhile, less than 24 hours since she received the vaccine, Pugh says she is feeling great, with no side effects. 

“My arm is a little sore, but less than it is when I get a flu shot,” she says. And, she’s especially excited about how the CDC has launched the V-safe After Vaccination Health Checker Program to collect data on the vaccines. “I feel like I am playing a role in helping our country collect data about the vaccine that hopefully will be very helpful moving forward.”  

 
Appreciative and Thankful  

We appreciate your commitment to the continued well-being of our Chamberlain community and support during this unprecedented time. Please visit the Chamberlain University website for the latest updates regarding COVID-19.  

We thank and honor all healthcare workers through our Care for Caregivers website, as well as the Chamberlain Wall of Gratitude and thank you message. 

By Mary Beth Sammons

More from Nursing Today

View all >
two chamberlain nurses
RN BSN or BSN RN: How To Display Your BSN Degree
Read more
Where do FNPs work?
Family Nurse Practitioner Jobs: How to Prepare for Your…
Read more
oncology
My Nursing Specialty: Oncology Nursing
Read more
Sonyette Walker Image
Atlanta Nurse Takes Winding Path to an Extraordinary Career
Read more
Show more >

Request More Information

To receive the Chamberlain University Program Guide, including associated career paths, please select a program of study.

Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Student Portal Login

Main Campus
Addison Campus
1221 North Swift Road
Addison, IL 60101 

National Management Offices
500 W. Monroe St, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60661

All Campus Locations
Contact

Footer Menu Column 1

  • Online Programs
  • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
  • Alumni Association
  • Chamberlain Marketplace
  • Military
  • Leadership
  • Catalog & Viewbook

Footer Menu Column 2

  • Student Portal
  • Student Consumer Info
  • Accreditation
  • Parent Organization
  • CA Performance Fact Sheets
  • CA BPPE Annual Report
  • CA BPPE Website
  • Cost of Attendance

Footer Menu Column 3

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Student Disability Services
  • Office of Equity and Access
RELATED CONTENT
  • Family of Front Line COVID-19 Nurses “Zoom” in...
  • We are Like a Family in the ICU and we will...
  • Front line Nurse Helps COVID-19 Patients...

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

2023 Chamberlain Universtiy LLC. All rights reserved.

Footer Menu Line 1

  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • *140,000 Chamberlain students, alumni and faculty

    † Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, ccneaccreditation.org. The Chamberlain University Doctor of Nursing Practice (delivered via distance education) is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037 (202-909-2526). Chamberlain University’s Master of Public Health Program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, www.ceph.org. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation, www.cswe.org. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Chamberlain University Physician Assistant Program. 

    Certified to Operate by SCHEV. 

    To report unresolved complaints to the Illinois Board of Higher Education visit their webpage at https://complaints.ibhe.org/ or by mail to 1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333, Springfield, IL 62701-1377. View Chamberlain's complaint process.

    Chamberlain University confers online degrees from its Main Campus in Addison, IL.

    Chamberlain University is a member of Adtalem Global Education Inc. www.adtalem.com
    ©2023 Chamberlain University LLC. All rights reserved.