COVID continues to ravage hospitals across Philadelphia and the world. Not only are people dying and getting critically ill, but there is a high burnout rate among nurses nationwide. There are staffing shortages, lack of resources, patient overcrowding and more. Working in healthcare right now is emotionally and physically truly devastating.

    Drexel nursing students are required to complete a coop as a part of their education, but the circumstances do not fair well. Coop is an interactive program that compares to an internship and is on top of normal curriculum and classes. Drexel nursing students on coop are being overworked to the brim, they are mentally and physically exhausted. They go from caring for critically ill patients day to day, to assuming most of the responsibilities of nursing assistants and techs, not to mention risking their safety. This is all for a mere $14 an hour. For comparison, the median coop pay for an accounting major is $20 an hour. $14 an hour may be a reasonable wage during reasonable times, but these are not reasonable times.

        The students of Drexel are grateful for the experience, and the Drexel program, but there needs to be a change.  We are being asked to do beyond taxing work and not being compensated appropriately. Many other students are working for home or hybrid and making up to twice what we make. In addition, many majors require less emotionally and physically out of their employees yet make significantly more an hour. It is only fair that during this pandemic that these students make the  wages that they deserve, and wages that reflect the quality of world that they are doing.

       While Drexel claims they are not able to individually adjust the pay of students at their places of work, they do have the ability to advocate for their students. Drexel holds the power to communicate the student's needs in a way that best benefits them, and could discuss changes with the hospitals/clinical areas such as Penn Medicine, Jefferson etc.

          Drexel nursing coops request that Drexel speaks up for us, and advocates for what their students deserve as frontline workers during this taxing period in American history.