A Nurse’s Notes on the Front Lines
A snapshot of life during a pandemic
I didn’t sign up for this, I thought.
I was standing at the nurse’s station. I had just learned that I was expected to care for multiple nursing home residents whose COVID-19 swabs were pending. Anyone who was positive had been moved to another unit.
I had been a nurse for ten years, but never during a worldwide disaster. Everyone on the unit was wearing personal protective equipment, or PPE, consisting of a mask and a yellow gown. I saw a nurse wearing an N95 mask, and was relieved that it was available, until she told me she brought it from home. I’d have to make do with a surgical mask.
I was hesitant to accept the assignment, but I was as ready as I would ever be. My hands knew how to don and doff gear; I knew what signs to look out for in my patients, such as a fever, shortness of breath, or dropping oxygen level. We were fully staffed. My only fear was telling my family I might have been exposed to COVID-19. I kept my stress bottled in.
Worried family members of residents couldn’t visit, so they called. Frequently. Sometimes we would get off the phone with someone, and they’d call right back. Sometimes, they would ask us to wheel their loved one to a window, so they could walk up and wave. It was the least I could do.
