Grant given to MU will help nurses boost confidence in COVID vaccine

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An interdisciplinary team of educators and researchers at the University of Missouri has received a grant to help increase knowledge and confidence about the COVID-19 vaccine among nurses and the communities they serve.

The grant is from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We want to prepare our nursing students as they get ready to graduate and go on to become nurses serving our communities,” said Birk in a release. “By incorporating these lessons into their current curriculum, they will be better prepared going forward to have effective conversations with people who may be feeling hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine.”

The updated course content will cover issues including vaccine development, safety and efficacy, vaccine hesitancy, differentiating between factual, evidence-based information and misinformation related to COVID-19 vaccines, motivational interviewing, health communication and social media marketing.

Birk also will work with faculty and students from the Missouri School of Journalism to identify effective communication strategies.