Article Contest: How is the Covid 19 Affecting Your Life?

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

Iam not working, no intention of going back family members are vulnerable,but lately looks like no one is safe.

This I can tell you I pray for my co workers,many have to go home to deal with continued precautions in order to keep family safe.The job as nurse has become brutal,floating,fear of infection,not seeing your family.Some keep separate quarters as precaution,we have idiots for politicians, in Cali ,they have gone door to door begging for masks,......

Really miss the old days of meaningful restrictions on visitors and extreme precautions ,wearing those simple yellow gowns over street clothes,not allowing anyone in who was sick,not just handing them a mask.....(which they never wore correctly anyhow)

Nurses were no longer allowed to keep bottled water by their work are due to joint commission infection control--YET THEY ALLOWED EVERY SORT OF VISITOR IN ANY CONDITION TO HANG OUT ALL DAY AND NIGHT WITHDRINKS,FOOD,ETC.,KIDS CRAWLING ON FLOORS, and they skimped on the purell supply,they did not want one on each work bedside, ha ha ha - now do they get it,now we are in this hell of a situation.God help us all.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

We are looking forward to seeing your Articles!! 👍

Title: "is it just me.. or...?

Is there a significant downturn in the use of cough etiquette in this country???

For me, the answer is yes. I have had to up the ante on the cough information on my ICU patients since flu season started in September. I boldly display the use of the crook of the elbow, clothing, less opportune is hand with wad of tissue... to demonstrate cough etiquette. I figure I am at high risk for covid 19 if only because of the fact that I get coughed on multiple times, in my face, during shift, by both patients and their visitors, and there is this stunned hurt bovine look in some cases, like "what?"

This despite the fact that we actually WISH many of our patients to cough. Post-surgical patients, for instance. Patients with thick secretions, as another example. Fortunately, I have a handy-dandy icon for education on my screen, with a subconcept entitled "cough"... which could mean, "turn, cough, deep breathe", or "cough because I am about to pull out your ET tube''... or "suctioning your upper airway is going to make you.... cough".

It seems like yesterday, but was in fact the second week of February, where I had a group of non-vaccinated pre-teens, wishing to go in the room of their Mom, who narrowly missed being placed on a ventilator for flu A. I told them,"consider this early education for Coronavirus, which is just around the corner". They looked dazed. I drew large air circles around the head/bed of their relative, describing the cloud of viral agents, then indicated that with air flow and currents in the room, it would likely go outside of the "safe" 6 foot environmental caution (although my facility was then teaching "3 feet" as safe) area following wind eddies, until it dropped on surfaces. They had recently come to the city and not been exposed already to the virus. It was their choice whether to go into room or not, and they all chose to stay out of the room, even while Mom was still not covering her cough.

I believe my health is directly compromised by the behavior of patients and visitors, and can only offer point of contact information, which might be largely ignored. Wouldn't it be prudent to have a public service announcement to remedy the loss of this important point of health and etiquette?

I am an RN of 40+ years experience, certified for ICU with 35 years as CCRN.

Name is Eleanor A Kirlin,RN,CCRN, MBA Graduate of University of Texas/Austin 1978 December

I am working at Baptist Medical Center in San Antonio, TX

An N95 .... my kingdom for an N95"

might loosely echo the Shakespearian cry from Richard III and that he was in need of a horse or his kingdom would be lost.. and in point of fact all of our tiny kingdoms could be lost because we do not have regularly issued N95 masks.

Perhaps I could have visited nieces and nephews the last days off, but I could not verify I had not had a covid19 contact. Not only am I not regularly supplied with PPE, we are not doing testing on staff or patients..... until the first test came back positive a few days ago. That is a long time without testing for an ICU handling primarily respiratory patients.

So I am not visiting friends or neighbors, except to drop off some fresh eggs and vegetables to those without access. Still, everything goes out double bagged. Am working on my garden. Eating as many antioxidants as I can get. I am relying on a relative to get me the PPE that should be supplied by my place of work.

I work an hour south of Boston. Same at our hospital. Low census. Cancelling staff & per diems. No visitors except for end of life care and maternity. Covid rule outs on the floors. Masks locked up. Patients found on floors with bilateral pneumonia should have been tested but haven’t been and no precautions. ? Calm before the storm . no nurses have tested positive at my facility that I am aware of.

we have call in center to be tested for Covid at surgical center currently closed( drive through by appointment only)

[GNodoubtfan, LPN]

I'm working in a respiratory vent center in Wisconsin and we're taking all the needed precautions very seriously. Luckily we have a tunnel that connects to a hospital so none of our residents have to leave essentially. We're all taking it day by day, knowing we'll get past this. Only thing I'd have to complain about is I'm working 70+ hours a week, but my residents come first.

Edited Mar 26, 2020 by GNodoubtfan

[Alexandra4rmtexas, ADN, RN]

My babygirl is 7months old, part of me feels I should quit my job to minimize risking my baby from covid-19. I just work medsurg, my hospital is a very small hospital with only two vents available, and 24bed medsurg. No ICU here, small ER with 2RNs, 1LPN, 1Doc.
Other part of me feels I need to be available for the community that needs me.
This is a battle inside me made up of fear for the unknown. Would never put my baby on the line, our county does not have any confirmed Covid-19 cases so far. Since my baby was born I’ve been working only Saturdays and Sundays, I’m sure I’m not the only nurse worried about their baby. Anyone else worried about your baby??

I have never been confused....noone knows whether it's airborne,contact,or droplet😭😭😭😭😭so if it's airborne and we have been instructed not to wear masks unless you have symptoms or someone else has symptoms. And why was the United States not ready????

I'm in hospice homecare. We were told today that this is our new normal, positive covid 19 patients. As of today I have 4 confirmed. Most of our patients are DNR/DNI/DNH we must care for them at home towards EOL. My fear is the lack of supplies. We dont have enough n95 and ppe. We are told to reuse them and this can expose other pt who are possiblely negative (they won't be tested). I dont know. I just pray every morning for the strength to continue give my patients the best care towards EOL and not bring anything home to my family. I pray for better days and competent leadership.

[MGLPN276]

I am an LPN in a Pediatric doctors office. We currently do not have appropriate PPE in our office. In fact we have zero PPE. There has been no protocol put in place not have we been screening anyone. My boss does not seem to think this virus is that big of a deal when all over the world it is a big deal. I know longer feel comfortable at my job. I have issues with BP and recently my BP has been spiking as high as 188/110. I am currently on medication for my BP amd think that this spike is due to anxiety. I am afraid for myself that this could eventually lead to a stroke. I am ready to quit my job but scared I will lose my license and/or will not qualify for help from unemployment and I can not afford that! What do I do?

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

Luckily, not much has changed for me yet, other than minor inconveniences. But, I also understand that may change at any given time. I will add that I'm a home body-almost hermit, hubby and I farm and are fairly self sufficient

not sure how to post on this site it's been a long time. I retired from being an LVN 3 years ago. I work in mental Health, detox, and subspecialty surgery Clinic for the VA. I'm 64. And I want to work helping potential patients get drive thru covid-19 testing or telehealth. I live in Santa Rosa, California and want a part-time job helping. Thank you, Theresa

12 hours ago, Alexandra4rmtexas said:

My babygirl is 7months old, part of me feels I should quit my job to minimize risking my baby from covid-19. I just work medsurg, my hospital is a very small hospital with only two vents available, and 24bed medsurg. No ICU here, small ER with 2RNs, 1LPN, 1Doc.
Other part of me feels I need to be available for the community that needs me.
This is a battle inside me made up of fear for the unknown. Would never put my baby on the line, our county does not have any confirmed Covid-19 cases so far. Since my baby was born I’ve been working only Saturdays and Sundays, I’m sure I’m not the only nurse worried about their baby. Anyone else worried about your baby??

It's natural to be worried about your (presumably healthy) baby, but honestly I'd be worried more if I lived with an elderly parent. I'm not concerned at all about my nieces and nephews getting over Covid. I'm highly concerned for my parents.

ohhhh my heart goes out to you. Does your doctor at least have a new protocol with how to deal with patient's with coughs, or coughs with fevers.... my personal physician won't see any of those people and is sending them to ED.

Don't touch anything with bare fingers... for starts. Wipe down surfaces/pens/clipsboards/phones/ desktops with each use with chlorhexidine. If chlorhexidine not available, check and see (CDC) if chlorox wipes and alcohol 70% are sufficient. Do you have an N95 mask, or can you get access? Might consider placing a thin line of bactroban in nares, like they do for immunocompromised patients, but ask your own doctor for that, because I do not have prescriptive authority. Those surgical masks are better than nothing. ARE ANY OF HIS PATIENTS ASKING SERIOUS QUESTIONS? Once again, my PCP office is all but closed, and there is one person stationed lateral to the building, social distance line, and you go into office only if no fever no cough.

What does your mayor or your metropolitan health district say to do? I will think about this some more and get back with you, but this gives you a start.

(Annie... RN 40 years, mostly ICU... currently an endangered species)

[TreeJ, ADN, RN]

I thought about your topics in relation to this virus. Honestly, they all seemed seeing a glass half empty type headings. For myself, reading history many Nurses and Nurses before being called Nurses pioneered such times as this. Do I worry about illness? Oh yes I do, in fact the last near 21 years I’ve been in this. Each day was probably a gamble. To the Aids patient, MRSA, VRE, Hepatitis, H1N1 exposures, but education and rationality saw me through. In the end, no virus made me ill, but instead I fight a Pancreatic Tumor, Parkinsons which for me is no guarantee that life will be at its best.

So, being this is a new normal for awhile I hope to hear 30 years from this period, Nurses took the helm. That caring and loving resurged in this field and Nurses didn't become Nurses for the money & job security. That they realized they were called to it. Human servers is what we are.

Nursing school was not easy, in fact this field is not. But, its the job or is it not. Nursing for me was always a Love and never worked a day of it. Salutatorians, above all during this period is what I’ll call you forever!

Appreciate your response.

Since I do not know which specific items you are responding to, would offer the following:

Objection to unsafe standards should not qualify as a glass half empty.

I believe Florence did plenty of this in Crimea, and Queen Victoria wanted to name her as the head of her War Department. Perspective is everything.

You may not have been responding to the unsafe standards argument, but that appears to be at the heart of most responses. It is perhaps the choice of whether to work/not to work in these conditions. That is a personal choice, and while I might applaud the the sheer brio of someone who is forging ahead, it would not be wise to avoid taking on the environment of care which affects all of us, including the patients. Hopefully, nurses will unite over this and other conditions which keep us from being the public helth resource we are.