MADISON, Wis. — A Madison registered nurse is one of dozens of health care professionals volunteering their time and work to help others get vaccinated. 

Lisa Culver is a registered nurse at SSM St. Mary’s hospital in Madison. 

On a Friday, she spent the morning volunteering her time at a vaccine clinic for 5-to-11-year-olds. It was the Madison Metropolitan School District’s first clinic for kids in that age bracket. 

“It is very exciting to finally have the opportunity to offer to so much of our public the opportunity to be protected,” Culver said. “It’s exciting to see the kids be excited about it.” 

But Culver isn’t there administering the shot. She’s spending the morning getting the doses ready. 

“They come in a multi-dose vial, 10 doses per vial,” Culver said, as she shook the vial and drew liquid into the syringe. “And we take out the 10 doses and separate those for the people to administer.” 

This behind-the-scenes prep work doesn’t get a lot of fanfare, and the people doing it don’t always come in contact with the vaccine recipients. However, it makes a huge difference for the people actually giving the shots. 

“We couldn’t do this without all the volunteers,” said school nurse Mandy Monson. “We have five school nurses who volunteered on their day off to come and give shots, and then all the workers from SSM drawing all the shots and doing all the background work… it’s seamless.” 

Culver has prepped thousands of these doses by now. She’s volunteered her time at tons of these clinics, as have other doctors and nurses from SSM Health. They've formed a little volunteer crew of people donating their time, interchangeable based on who's there that day. 

“We’ve done dozens and dozens of vaccine clinics for those that are having difficulty accessing health care, and to those who are hesitant in making their decision,” she said. 

That’s also been a big part of her volunteer work lately: chatting with vaccine-hesitant people. 

“The people that have come, they are interested in being vaccinated,” Culver said. She said listening to them has to be the number one priority. 

If they feel heard, they can trust the person they’re talking to. “They just need that little extra help making that decision,” she said. 

Between helping people get accurate information about the vaccines, and prepping all those doses, Culver’s volunteer work is part of who she is. 

“It’s just very rewarding.”