Living and working through the COVID-19 Pandemic was one of the most challenging things I have experienced so far. I was almost two years out of nursing school so I was still getting my feet wet as a new nurse. I had just excepted a position as a home health nurse and then all of a sudden I keep hearing about this mystery virus that is plaguing healthcare systems worldwide. I no longer knew what normal was once it hit the United States. We went from having copious amounts of supplies to having to reuse surgical masks and N95s. I could not believe how difficult it was to even find toilet paper or Lysol wipe in the store. It did not take long at all for the panic to set in.
As a healthcare professional, I did not have the choice to just stay home and keep myself safe. I went out to work everyday despite stay-at-home mandates and took care of my patients to the best of my abilities with the limited supplies and resources that I was provided. I will not lie and say that I was scared most of the time. I did not know what I was potentially bringing home to my family and then in September of 2020 I found out that I was pregnant with my oldest. I no longer had just myself to think about anymore while I was out in the field.
It was a very eye opening experience to say the least. One minute healthcare professionals were selfless heroes who did not hesitate to put themselves in harms way to take care of your loved ones. Then, in the next breath, it was absurd how much money we were making doing a job we signed up and chose to do. Some of society truly showed how little they thought of us and how disposable they think we are.
Working as a nurse through this pandemic gave me a great appreciation for life and the little things that we seem to take for granted. Now I stop and stare at the sky a little longer or I will take that extra moment and chat with my patient about what they used to do or have them tell me more about their family. I now see my life, as a nurse, through a different set of eyes and I am proud to say that I am a nurse and no matter what comes my way, I will always maintain that passion for my career.
As a healthcare professional, I did not have the choice to just stay home and keep myself safe. I went out to work everyday despite stay-at-home mandates and took care of my patients to the best of my abilities with the limited supplies and resources that I was provided. I will not lie and say that I was scared most of the time. I did not know what I was potentially bringing home to my family and then in September of 2020 I found out that I was pregnant with my oldest. I no longer had just myself to think about anymore while I was out in the field.
It was a very eye opening experience to say the least. One minute healthcare professionals were selfless heroes who did not hesitate to put themselves in harms way to take care of your loved ones. Then, in the next breath, it was absurd how much money we were making doing a job we signed up and chose to do. Some of society truly showed how little they thought of us and how disposable they think we are.
Working as a nurse through this pandemic gave me a great appreciation for life and the little things that we seem to take for granted. Now I stop and stare at the sky a little longer or I will take that extra moment and chat with my patient about what they used to do or have them tell me more about their family. I now see my life, as a nurse, through a different set of eyes and I am proud to say that I am a nurse and no matter what comes my way, I will always maintain that passion for my career.
