THANK YOU to our Healthcare Workers

THANK YOU TO OUR HEALTHCARE WORKERS!! We are so grateful for all of the doctors, nurses, and first responders who are working tirelessly to keep all us safe and healthy. 

We talked to three of our frequent riders (between the three of them, they have over 750 rides!) who are working on the front lines.

Also a huge thank you to: teachers, parents, cashiers, veterinarians, delivery drivers, transit workers, grocery store employees, scientists, volunteers, and everyone who is fighting and working to make the world better for everyone. We appreciate you 

Just to start off – what do you do and where do you work?

Danae: I am a nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Sharp Memorial. I’ve been working in the surgical ICU.

Nicole: I am a registered nurse at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns. I work on the mother/baby floor taking care of women & healthy newborns a few hours after delivery until they are discharged home from the hospital.

Brittany:  I am a registered nurse at Scripps Memorial La Jolla on the Cardiovascular and Stroke Unit. 

How has your job/job responsibilities changed since the COVID-19 outbreak?

Danae: For the last 7 weeks, I’ve worked exclusively on our COVID ICU unit which is dedicated to patients who have either tested positive for COVID for those who have symptoms and we’ve swabbed and are waiting for their test results.

I trained the first week that we were seeing it and am now a highly infectious disease trained nurse. I train other healthcare workers on what proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is, how to wear it, how to put it on/take it off, and how to sanitize everything. Now that so many people are trained, I’ll help on as a resource nurse and I have my own patients.

Nicole: We now have designated areas to care for COVID-19+ or suspected + moms/babies. Nurses on my unit are responsible for caring for these patients. We have implemented a lot of new policies, procedures and guidelines to care for this specific patient population. We have also gone through extra training in regards to putting on/taking off all of the personal protective equipment that comes with caring for these patients. 

Brittany: We have more restrictions for visitation, more precautions when it comes to patient care, and we are vigilant/thorough in monitoring for signs and symptoms of COVID.

How has it been in the hospital?

Danae: Thankfully it hasn’t overwhelmed our hospital, and we’ve had a steady flow of input and output. We’ve had some patients fully recover and leave the ICU, but then we’ll get more in. The fear around reopening society too early is that we’ll hit another surge and become overwhelmed.

Nicole: I work on a unit that is typically a very happy place to work. We get to take care of patients on one of the best days of their lives after the birth of their child. With all the craziness going on in the world, being able to come into work and care for these patients, sharing in their happiness, makes me so grateful.

The biggest difference right now is that we are not allowing visitors other than one support person. We usually have so many visitors on our floor visiting new babies, it is weird having our floor be so empty! I think it is kind of a blessing in disguise because it allows our patients to have the time to really bond and connect with their baby (and rest!) without the distraction of visitors. Also, patients are staying for less time in the hospital after the birth of their baby, so the number of patients that we have at one time has definitely decreased.

Brittany: It depends on the day. Some days are harder than others. We are really fortunate to have each other for the support we need.

Do you feel safe at work?

Danae: There are a lot of times of fear, especially when it first started. The CDC puts out guidelines and at first it seemed like they didn’t know a lot about proper protections. I would be off work for two days and then come in to learn that some procedures had changed.

The patients are what scared me the most because there’s so much unknown regarding how patients progress – we just know the course of the virus is very long. We had one patient in his 30s who was healthy and he got so sick so fast and that scared me.

Nicole: I do now, yes. When all this first started, we were not allowed to wear any masks to work because the hospital was trying to conserve PPE. Having to take care of our patients very closely without the protection of a mask was scary and very stressful. Now we are required to wear masks throughout our shift and our patients and their support person are also required to wear masks anytime any healthcare personnel are in the room. We also just started testing all of our patients for COVID-19 on admission so we usually have the results available by the time they come up to my floor or soon after.

Brittany: I feel safe because I have an awesome manager and really amazing supervisors that personally look out for me and are always checking in on me.  

What has been the most challenging part for you as a healthcare worker during this?

Danae: The hardest part is that no part of the hospital is allowed to have any visitors, even the non-COVID patients. It’s sad when the patients are doing really badly and some are dying and no one is allowed in. We have an iPad for patients to use to talk to loved ones, but it’s not the same. Normally you would die with your family around, but now there is increased stress from some patients dying alone. 

Nicole: Trying to keep up with all the new processes/guidelines of care, which are constantly being updated. What is recommended at the beginning of the shift may change by the end of the shift. We are constantly on high alert, making sure we are following protocols and keeping ourselves and our patients safe. Even though I am lucky enough to be working on a floor not hugely impacted my COVID-19, working in any type of healthcare setting during this time can be emotionally draining.

Brittany: Dealing with the emotional portion. Families and friends can’t visit and the patients feel lonely. Healthcare workers are working tirelessly with not only COVID patients but the critically ill patients who have been afraid to go to the hospital and wait until their conditions worsen.  

Healthcare workers have changed their lifestyles. A lot of us shower and change before going home, we wipe down everything at the beginning of every shift and at the end of every shift (desks, computers, mouse pads, badges, stethoscopes, watches, shoes, and anything with a hard surface) some have separate living arrangements from their families, and a lot of us don’t visit our extended family members or friends.

What’s the best way for us to protect ourselves from exposure? Anything else besides what we hear all the time (not touching your face, washing your hands, wearing a mask, social distancing)?

Danae: I know people must be getting antsy at home and getting over the whole thing but the effects that staying home are having on the healthcare system have been very positive. We’re not overwhelmed and we’re not having to choose between caring for patients and being protected. When it gets really hard, remembering that we’re doing this for the greater good; someone might live because you stay home.

Nicole: You hear about these all the time because they are the BEST ways to protect yourself! Social distancing is extremely important and essential to slowing down the spread of the virus. If you are not coming into contact with other people (who may be carrying the virus unknowingly) the chances of you getting the virus is very small.

Brittany: What is recommended is the best way to reduce exposure. It sounds easy but we all know that it can be difficult: we naturally touch our face (especially around our eyes and noses), wearing a mask is not easy for some versus others, and social distancing is the toughest cause a majority of us miss giving our friends and loved ones hugs!!!