During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us have been at home, whether that’s doing our homework, watching TV, or talking to our friends. However, some people are essential workers, people that are required to work during the pandemic. Many of these essential workers are in the medical field. These workers are important during the pandemic because they care for human lives, whether physically or remotely. A particular group of essential workers in the medical field that plays a vital role during these hectic times are nurses. Nurses are the frontline workers who provide care and comfort to patients. They have gone through a lot during this time. Here are the experiences of 7 nurses from 5 NY medical facilities:

I’ve interviewed seven nurses from one nursing home, three hospitals, and one remote monitoring team. Most of these nurses say they’ve provided care to around 10 to 50 COVID-19 patients. Nurses need an N-95 mask, face shields or eye protection (such as goggles), a protective gown, and gloves. While wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), these nurses “barely get any time to eat or drink”. They’ve described their experiences as heartbreaking, sad, hectic, chaotic, and scary.

COVID-19 has impacted the emotional health of most of these nurses. For many, “it was sad seeing some of… (their) patients die from this virus”. One nurse says: “each day when I go home, I don’t know if I’m infected with COVID. That keeps on haunting me until I get tested each time…”. Many of these nurses have relatives or friends that have contracted COVID-19.

With the fear of contracting COVID-19 comes the frustration of not having an adequate amount of resources. None of the nurses who provided direct care to COVID-19 patients got enough PPE during the peak of the pandemic. Some of these nurses had to wear a single mask for five days, but now, they receive adequate PPE. However, PPE wasn’t the only shortage. Out of the three nurses asked, two say that there was a staff shortage at the peak of the pandemic. A nurse explains: “Most of the nurses, some doctors, and some healthcare workers became sick and some of them died. Before the pandemic, we already had a shortage, and during the pandemic, there was a severe shortage.” Even now, there are still staff shortages in some departments “because the management is unable to hire enough critical care nurses”. Some of these nurses have also been getting lots of patients during the peak of the pandemic, more than they are supposed to receive. Surveys and studies have shown that having too many patients might negatively affect the quality of care patients receive. One nurse said that she once had to treat around 9 patients in one shift (a duty time for one specific day/night), even though she is only supposed to treat six patients per shift. Some nurses were also not properly trained how to use ventilators (a machine that helps you take breaths if you can’t do it on your own) that they used for and during the pandemic. Out of the six nurses asked, all were evenly split when asked whether or not their administration has done enough for them during the peak of the pandemic. One nurse says her “hospital did a good job… with whatever resources they had”. However, another says that she “expected more from the administration” during the peak of the pandemic. She says that her administration couldn’t solve problems such as staff shortages.

Most of them are optimistic about COVID-19 vaccines. Some say they’ll wait some time before taking the vaccine. One nurse says that she’d wait to get the vaccine so that a more at-risk population gets it first. She says that “hopefully, if more people take it, and the vaccine is effective, it’ll help suppress the pandemic”. When asked for the biggest challenge in the pandemic, responses included those who don’t follow COVID-19 guidelines, the spread of misinformation, and staff shortages.

Interviewee #4 says that an important lesson that can be learned from the pandemic is to improve America’s healthcare system: “I think we have to take a step back and look at how we can improve our healthcare system as a whole. If anything, COVID-19 has shed light on the inefficiency of the system. This is throughout; not in any one hospital’s healthcare system or any one (specific) state, this is a problem across the United States of America. And it has been, for a very long time.”. Interviewee #5 says that nurses ought to be individually appreciated by their management for the work that nurses did. She also wants the safety of healthcare workers to be addressed.

All the nurses who were interviewed ask everybody to follow COVID-19 guidelines. Remember: by not following COVID-19 protocols, “...you're putting your frontline workers at risk…. you’re only hurting the doctors and nurses and respiratory therapists and the CNAs (certified nursing assistants) and all the other hospital staff… because you didn’t take the precaution(s) you should have”. They emphasize that as a member of society, it is your duty to follow protocols (such as social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands) because it protects not just you, but all other members of society. All of these nurses want to thank those who’ve been following all COVID-19 guidelines. To those who feel stuck and lonely at home, these nurses recommend listening to your favorite music, reading, talking to friends and family (on the phone or socially distanced with masks), watching movies, playing games, or binge-watching Netflix.

We all have to be thankful for nurses and all other healthcare workers, for all the work they did and for all the experiences they went through. One way to be thankful is to do what they suggest: wearing a mask, socially distancing, washing hands, and using hand sanitizer. If you feel too stressed, worried, or lonely, you can talk to your parents, teachers, friends, or The Bay Academy’s own guidance counselors: Mr. Caiati, Ms. Carlino, and Ms. D’Angelo. All of these nurses, and us here at The Bay Current, wish well for the health and safety of all. Remember: stay safe and stay healthy!