COVID-19 has we all know is a horrible pandemic that has taken the lives of many people and their families. The medical care has been working their butts off saving people left to right around the world. A few nurses have taken the offer to give us an inside on whats going on with the healthcare community.
Q: What is your name and job location?
A: My name is Kristina Hoyer. I am working at Ohio Surgery Center.
Q: How long have you been employed?
A: I have been working as an OR nurse for 40+ years. I have worked in nursing homes, home health, and clinic nursing as well as all aspects of peri operative nursing.
Q: By what means has working in the nursing field changed since COVID-19?
A: Well we shut down for almost 2 months when Covid started in 2019. We returned to N95 masks with surgical masks over goggles and face shields! Since then we are back to surgical masks and goggles. Of course, we wear gloves and gowns, that was always in place.
Q: How has the pandemic impacted your job within the past few years?
A: Some people continue to wear N95 for protection. Most surgeons wear N95 when operating ( all of our cases are ENT- ear nose, throat). If you have chosen to not get vaccines. N95 required. Changes in the nursing field since Covid is there are definitely more opportunities. There has definitely been a mass exodus due to working conditions and the stress involved for various reasons.
Q: What are the most difficult and best parts of your job?
A: For me personally, changes at my job that have affected me are: we don’t socialize with each other much anymore, we don’t eat together, we don't just chit chat and de-stress with one another anymore, because we are separated when we take our masks off to eat or have coffee. We used to “hang out” and go to happy hour. We don’t do this anymore. There have been no parties or big celebrations since 2019, I miss those times. They were great for getting to know your coworkers.
Q: Has the work ethic of you or the other nurses around you changed during the pandemic? If so, how?
A: Difficulties of my job include mass exodus of coworkers, continuous orientation of new nurses, denial of vacation and time off due to no replacement nurse, no sympathy from upper management as they continue their more normal routine. Work ethic: mine has not changed, as I tell every new nurse I orient “be the nurse you want, your reputation will follow you everywhere and as a nurse you can do as little or as much as you want-you chose!”
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A: There will always be a job for a nurse. It will always be your choice what your job means. It is intensely personal to your patients! Be compassionate, be prepared. Take care of yourself to better care for others! So many words of wisdom I have been told by my many mentors.
Picture: N/A
Q: What is your full name, age and job location?
A: Cynthia Brooks, age 38, Dayton OH.
Q: What type of nurse are you?
A: Licensed Practical Nurse in a local hospital. I work part time as a hospice nurse.
Q: How long have you been employed?
A: I have been a nurse for 10 years and with my current employer since October.
Q: By what means has working in the nursing field changed since COVID-19?
A: Being a nurse during the COVID 19 pandemic has been rewarding yet stressful. I am grateful to care for people during one of their most vulnerable times and see them recover from this terrible disease. Staffing, however, has been and continues to be an issue for nurses everywhere. Whether nurses are sick with COVID or just burned out, we continue to make an effort on ensuring the public receives the best care possible.
Q: How has the pandemic impacted your job within the past few years?
A: When the pandemic began, I was working in the home health industry. Many of our clients demanded to have their services stopped because they were afraid of being exposed to COVID. Major surgeries were postponed. This resulted in a decrease of business for my employer and short paychecks.
Q: What are the most difficult and best parts of your job?
A: The most difficult part of my job is having to tell a patient’s loved one that they will continue to decline or they’ve passed away. The best part of my job is seeing patients recover and return to their normal lives.
Q: Has the work ethic of you or the other nurses around you changed during the pandemic? If so, how?
A: My work ethic has not changed since the pandemic. I always gave and will continue to give my patients the best care I can give them.
Picture: Cynthia
Q: What is your full name, age, and job location?
A: Sheri Baker, I’m 41 and I work at Mount Carmel’s St. Ann’s hospital.
Q: What type of nurse are you?
A: I’m a surgical nurse.
Q: What was the biggest difference between your transition from medical assistant to RN nurse?
A: A registered nurse receives a higher level of medical education, which then requires you to obtain a license after graduating. We are taught to think more critical, understand the body, know medications and their side effects. We are able to work independently and can manage others. As a licensed professional a nurse can handle and administer medications that a medical assistant is not allowed to. But, I will say medical assistants, with supervision from a licensed medical provider, are able to do some things nurses do. Such as, administer vaccines, get labs/draw blood, give breathing treatments, etc.
Q: Has the work ethic of you or the other nurses around you changed during the pandemic?
A: I haven’t experienced any change within nursing since the pandemic. But I also don’t work in the clinic or inpatient unit anymore. So since this is my first time working in the operating room, I don’t know how it was before covid. But I don’t see any shortcuts to patient care and everyone is still conscious of cleanliness and using proper PPE precautions.
Q: How has the pandemic impacted your latest job within the past few years?
A: Workloads at my previous job tripled. There was a period of time the clinic that I used to work in closed for a few months at the beginning of the pandemic and it changed completely how things were done and processed which increased everyone’s responsibilities.
Q: How long have you been employed at your current job?
A: I just started my new job in mid December of 2021.
Q: What’s the most difficult and best part of your current job?
A: The most difficult part of my job is having a patient that finds out they have a terminal illness and nothing can be done to treat it.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share?
A: Yes, I believe that covid 19, just like any other virus, should be taken serious as the other viruses have, therefore, we need to educate ourselves more on how other viruses were controlled and what herd immunity truly means, not enough people understand how this is reached. I understand that it’s scary to deal with something unknown and “new”, however, this is another form of SARS and scientists have been studying this and vaccines for SARS since 2003! Trust the science as we have our whole lives and we’ll all make a difference together!
Picture: Sheri Baker
Q: What is your full name, age and job location?
A: Taylor Hall, 28, Mount Carmel East.
Q: What type of nurse are you?
A: Surgical Trauma ICU Registered Nurse.
Q: How long have you been employed?
A: I have been a nurse for 3 years, but I have been employed at this position for 4 months.
Q: By what means has working in the nursing field changed since COVID-19?
A: Increased number of patients, yet more opportunities for overtime work.
Q: How has the pandemic impacted your job within the past few years?
A: All care providers have been required to complete tasks which we were not accustomed to doing, in order to treat COVID patients.
Q: What are the most difficult and best parts of your job?
A: Treating people who will have a bad outcome no matter what we do. Being present for the suffering of the patients and their families.
Q: Has the work ethic of you or the other nurses around you changed during the pandemic? If so, how?
A: We continue to work very hard, but the expectations placed upon us have increased. There was a time when the patient ratios we have now would have been unheard of.
Picture: Taylor Hall
Q: What is your full name, age and job location?
A: Kelly Keyser, 34, OSU James Cancer Center
Q: What type of nurse are you?
A: Inpatient Oncology RN (bedside)
Q: How long have you been employed?
A: 7 years at my current job, I have been a nurse for almost 11.
Q: By what means has working in the nursing field changed since COVID-19?
A: Where to start? Nurses were thrown into dangerous situations and called “heroes” by everyone, but weren’t given proper resources to safely take care of Covid patients. So many people have left nursing altogether, and have PTSD and other issues from working on the front lines. Nurses are being expected to do way more, without being compensated or paid more. We are taken advantage of by our employers and unappreciated by the public. The standard of care has changed dramatically, and our patients are suffering because of it.
Q: How has the pandemic impacted your job within the past few years?
A: Many of our resources have been taken away from us, including charge nurses who’s sole jobs were to help the nurses on the unit. So we no longer have direct help, we have to rely on our coworkers who are all equally as busy with their own assignments.
Staffing wise, aside from not having charge nurses to help, we are also taking care of 2x the amount of patients during a shift that we once were. Our patients are much more sick than they were before, as many treatments were delayed due to Covid, staffing issues, scheduling issues, etc. Sicker patients means more meds, more blood products (that require 2 nurses to sign off), and patients that need more assistance: getting out of bed, incontinence issues, etc. We also no longer have PCA/techs for every patient, so along with taking twice the amount of patients as a nurse, we are often their aides as well. Things are getting missed, we don’t have time to think critically, medications are overdue, patients are falling more because they are tired of waiting in for assistance to go to the bathroom. All of this while not getting compensated for the extra work we are doing. It is so disheartening to feel like you worked so hard for 13 hours, only to still feel like you failed your patients or didn’t do enough.
Q: What are the most difficult and best parts of your job?
A: The most difficult part is all the changes and responsibilities that are now ours that weren’t before. Many new nurses have quit soon after orientation. We are not setting these new nurses up for success at all, and we are losing really good nurses because of it. The best part is my coworkers. We rely on each other and care for each other a lot.
Q: Has the work ethic of you or the other nurses around you changed during the pandemic? If so, how?
A: I have always worked hard at my job, but now I don’t feel like it matters as much? I feel like a robot working for a system that doesn’t care for or value their employees.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A: These have been the most difficult years of my career as a nurse, and it has felt very unfair, cruel, and draining. I worry for the future of healthcare, but at the same time feel that our voices are only getting louder to demand change and to be treated better. I will always stand up for myself and my fellow nurses, and one of the ways it by spreading the word about what is really happening in healthcare.
Picture: Kelly Keyser
Q: What is your full name, age and job location?
A: Temeka Deanley, 44, South Columbus
Q: What type of nurse are you?
A: I currently work in a plasma facility as a nurse. It’s comparison to Community Nursing. At my job I do physical examinations and education donors on health precautions.
Q: How long have you been employed?
A: I started off first as an LPN and then went right back for my RN. I have been a nurse for a total of 7 years.
Q: By what means has working in the nursing field changed since COVID-19?
A: Nursing has changed tremendously. Nurses have already dealt with a heavy load, however, since COVID-19, our mental and physical limitations have been strained and maxed to capacity.
Q: How has the pandemic impacted your job within the past few years?
A: Since COVID-19, I have lost a lot of valuable nurses and regular staff due to fear and lack of knowledge while dealing with COVID. My facility was open 7-7/ 7 days a week. In order for any blood or plasma facilities to operate (per Ohio Board of Nursing) a RN must be on staff open to closing time. With this occurring, I was left with one other RN because all others quit. We were working 14-15 hour days by using 3 full days and a half day shift to accommodate hours. Then the other RN (whom was older) couldn’t handle the hours and resigned leaving me. I was the only nurse working 4/ 10-11 hour days and relief came in to work for me the other three. Thankfully corporate changed hours to accommodate the shortage of nurses and staff. However, in my opinion COVID has made it difficult to obtained staff due to people not wanting to work due to fear or because of them making more money at home by collecting unemployment.
Q: What are the most difficult and best parts of your job?
A: The most difficult part of my job is dealing with consistent short staffing. Yet, I love my job. I enjoy the donors who come and donate their plasma. These are individuals that I have known for years. Some of these individuals I have known for 12 years when I use to work at another plasma facility. The environment with the donors are like a family. Most of them look out for the employees and vice versa. That’s what I enjoy, hence why I stated previously it’s in comparison to Community Nursing.
Q: Has the work ethic of you or the other nurses around you changed during the pandemic? If so, how?
A: At my facility, the work ethics is causing major burnt-out, however, we are still trying to grow and hire more nurses so that I may get a needed vacation. However, some of our other nurses at different facilities have used Covid-19 as an excuse not to present to work which cause myself or other nurses to fill in for them or their facility does not open due to staffing. It’s truly a ripple effect.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A: While this pandemic has affected nurses in multitudes of ways, in my industry, it’s also affecting the patients that needs the medication we produce from the plasma. This also stands for the nurses in hospitals. The short staffing and staffing burnt-outs are hindering the proper quality of care to patients. I’m my opinion, something needs to be done across the board within the healthcare industry to help assist us.
Picture: Temeka Deanley
To start off, big thanks to nurse: Kristina Hoyer, Cynthia Boykin, Sheri Baker, Taylor Hall, Kelly Keyser and Temeka Deanley. Thank you once again for the nurses' help and insight to how nursing has changed because of the pandemic.
Credits:
Created with images by JanBaby - "heart beat heart beat" • k-e-k-u-l-é - "mask surgical mask surgery"