Michaela Maguire 

Topics Discussed: Hospital, State, Future 

Interviewers: Fiona Musaraj and Malk Abou-Hadiba 

Method of Interview: Virtual Zoom Meeting

Interview Date: Tuesday August 4th, 2020

Fiona: "How has the corona virus affected your life?"

Michaela: "So I was a Cardiac Nurse at Brigham, and once this all started they made us all corona virus nurses with no training."

Malk: "How have you spent quarantine?"

Michaela: "I've been home, just because I've been a nurse on the corona virus floor, I haven't been around anyone. So I've been going to work and pretty much coming straight home."

Fiona: "How has the abrupt enter into the force as a nurse been for you?"

Michaela: "So, I've been a nurse for about four years now, but I definitely think it was an abrupt entrance to corona virus, it was kinda the same thing. It was very stressful at first, it was the unknown, you know going to work not knowing what was going to happen, and what the patient- and what symptoms they had and what were going to do about it, and no one knew so it was kinda going on the fly."

Malk: "Do you see a difference in cases from the start of this virus to wherever we are now?"

Michaela: "So we actually don't have a corona virus floor anyone which is very good. So this started in maybe the first week of April I wan't to say is when we got a lot of cases and the hospital was totally dedicated to the amount of patients we had, but now we don't have any so it's definitely good, I mean I know there's still positive cases but  at Brigham at least, it's definitely slowed down." 

Fiona: "Do you think the state is prepared to handle a possible re-surge of cases in the Fall/Winter? "

Michaela: "I think Massachusetts is probably on of the best state in the country to handle this, and if you look at it now, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut are the only ones on track to you know, open everything which I don't think will happen but you know were the only state that flatten the curve which is what we wanted to do. And I know Brigham is preparing for a second surge, I'm actually in the process of training to be an intensive care nurse, because if they don't have enough, so their training maybe thirty of us to you know when the next surge happens they will have more intensive care nurses because, you know the people were really sick."

Malk: "Can you explain the way you felt when you had to start work so early, especially during a time like this? 

Michaela: "It was stressful, I mean I couldn't go home and see my family it was pretty much I could only face-time them for a while almost up until June I could start going around people when things started to settle down. But it was like going into the unknown everyday so you didn't know what you were going to see and deal with and what emergencies were going to happen. But my coworkers luckily were awesome, and you know talked about it cried about it- everything with each other which was good." 

Fiona: "How do you think your job as a nurse will be impacted if schools do reopen?"

Michaela: "Well I don't think schools should reopen, but we don't have pediatric but I do actually sub for Revere school nurse sometimes. So I think pre-pandemic parents sent their kids to school even when they had a sore throat and a fever which isn't good, and I think there are still some people who don't think this pandemic makes people sick which also isn't good. So you know it could happen that parents say 'no said kids in' whether they get it or not, then you know they can give it to the teachers and then it starts all over again." 

Malk: "Do you think schools should even reopen?"

Michaela: "I don't think they should, I mean I know it's awful, but everyone is going through something, you know kids don't have school, doctors and nurses just got thrown in and people are working from home. I think you know, we need a vaccine really, I think a vaccine would really help, I mean more needs to be known about this virus. I mean, there's things coming out that kids get some sort of form of it, I don't really know but I don't think we should reopen."

Fiona: "How well do you think the state has handled the pandemic? What do you think they should improve on?"

Michaela: "I think they did a really good job, I mean I think it's tough when we have a president like we do, he waited a little to long to tell us and close everything down, I think China was closed down in January and we didn't find out until late March. Which I think- I mean people say they probably had it because there was no testing and no one knew what it was, they didn't have the flu. So I think as a whole- I think the state did a very good job about controlling it and flattening the curb like we wanted to, but I think the country as a whole, I don't think we were prepared for what it was, I mean no one knew what we were getting ourselves into." 

Malk: "What are your thoughts on the availability of testing and how it could impact the numbers of cases?"

Michaela: "I think testing now is way better than it was, I mean even testing in the hospital we were starting to run out early because people needed up to four to five tests because they were there for a while and testing every week. But I think now, specially in Revere, they have the free testing which I think is good, I mean even if you don't have symptoms you should still get tested as well. I think even in the beginning, the testing had to get sent out to a state lab which sometimes took over a week which I think was too long. And now, I know the Brigham has their own, we can test them in hospitals, and I think most hospitals have that so I think that helped, we now also get them in twelve hours which is a huge jump so I think testing is definitely better."

Fiona: "What precautions do you think businesses or any place that invites the public in should take?"

Michaela: "I mean I've got out to eat a couple times outside, just because inside is a little scary. But I think business are doing what they can, it's really unfortunate that a lot of places had to close down. But I think, you know wearing masks, even if your not six feet apart, I mean I leave my house always with a mask, and put in around my neck, or when I'm around someone I put it on. But I think if people can successfully do their job at home, and I think they should stay working at home until the vaccine is found and definitely more is known."

Malk: "How long do you think the virus will last?"

Michaela: "I don't know, I mean I think it's slowed down given that you know people stayed home and wore masks and I think that definitely helped, but I don't think it's gone yet. I think really until we have a vaccine and we know a little more about it I think it will- I mean a lot of people are saying the fall but I think it will be gone in April."

Fiona: "What do you think the future might hold and look like?"

Michaela: "I think you'll see a lot of businesses, big businesses cut down on going into the office and I think they'll save a lot of money. I think global warming and all that, it's a lot better to not drive in cars and use all that gas, and I think we've cut down, I mean circumstances obviously terrible. So I think it helped in that aspect, people working from home weren't using that energy going to work, so I think you'll see a lot more remote working from home, businesses that can, primary care will be doing virtual appointments which I think it will start to help heal the world a little bit." 

Malk: "Do you have anything else to add?"

Michaela: "No, this is great, I'm glad you guys are talking to health care workers. I think we went through a lot and I think it's good that people are asking and trying to learn about what's going on." 

Fiona: "Ok so we would like to thank you so much for your time."

Michaela: "Your welcome." 

Fiona & Malk: "Bye!"

Michaela: "Bye!"