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Wizards of Waverly Place 's Jennifer Stone Joining Frontlines of Coronavirus Crisis as Registered Nurse

Wizards of Waverly Place alum Jennifer Stone has a new role in her life.

Having finished nursing school in December, the actress, 27, revealed on Tuesday that she has officially become a registered nurse.

In an Instagram post celebrating World Health Day, Stone told her followers that she’s “ready to join” her fellow health care workers on the frontlines of fighting the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic after moving on from her post as a student nurse.

Sharing a photo of her medical facility badges, she wrote, “A very good friend of mine (@maiarawalsh ) pointed out to me that today is #worldhealthday. It is also the day I went from a volunteer, then a student nurse, and now an RN resident.”

“I just hope to live up to all of the amazing healthcare providers on the front lines now as I get ready to join them,” she captioned the shot, alongside the hashtags “#worldhealthorganization #supportnurses #westayhereforyou❤️pleasestayhomeforus #covid2020.”

Jennifer Stone/Instagram Jennifer Stone

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Stone previously played Harper Finkle on Wizards of Waverly Place. After leaving the popular Disney Channel series in 2012, she appeared in several independent films and TV movies.

Stone took a break from acting in 2013 after she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, according to her 2016 interview with Beyond Type 1, a nonprofit organization that provides resources to those living with diabetes. During that time, she studied psychology before making the switch to nursing.

“It’s been a long road of blood (mostly other people’s), sweat, and tears (those were mine) but I can finally call myself a nursing grad!” she wrote in an Instagram post last year, which featured her proudly showing off her diploma.

“Now to start studying for NCLEX!#nursingschoolgraduate #nurselife #actorbyday #nursebynight.”

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As of April 8, there have been at least 397,754 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with 12,956 deaths from coronavirus-related illness.

Worldwide, there are now at least 1,446,242 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 83,424 deaths.

The first cases of a mysterious respiratory illness — what is now known as COVID-19, a form of coronavirus — began in Wuhan, China in late December. Since then, the virus has spread worldwide, leading the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency, the first since the zika epidemic in 2016.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.