The healthcare field has become a highly respected field due to this pandemic. Many people are realizing how much nurses do to help our sick friends and family. I had the honor of sitting down with a nurse who is currently working on a COVID unit.
Her Campus: How long have you worked as a nurse?
Emily Recchia: I have been a nurse for two years.
HC: When did you start working on this COVID unit?
ER: I first started working on this unit about two weeks ago.
HC: How many people on your unit have been diagnosed with COVID?
ER: Our entire unit consists of positive covid patients. There are fifteen beds that are always full and then when we have discharges, there have consistently been patients waiting in the ED to be assigned a bed. We have also been discussing the possibility of having to double up patient rooms to create more beds due to the increased amount of patients that are being admitted.
HC: How does caring for a patient with COVID differ from caring for a regular patient?
ER: There is a lot more clustering of care with covid patients. You try to group tasks together to limit the amount of times you are exposing yourself by going into the patients’ rooms. It feels very strange compared to taking care of noncovid patients whose rooms you are constantly going into. You spend a lot less time with your patient if they are a covid patient. You also have to remember to take care of yourself. If there is an emergency situation, you have to make sure that you have all of the proper PPE before entering the room. You don’t just rush into the room like you would with a non covid patient. There are no emergencies in a pandemic.
HC: Has there been a shortage of PPE or personal protective equipment on your unit?
ER: No, luckily we haven’t had any issues with PPE. We have had enough supplies throughout this entire pandemic.
Sitting down with this nurse has really brought a new perspective to the work that nurses have done for us during this extremely difficult time. It is always important to thank those who are risking their health to help us.