Just a few weeks ago, I was helping with a list of classmates from my nursing school class of 1970. Yes, it was so we could plan our 50th class reunion. I was looking at the young fresh faces on my class photo, including my own. I have worked as a patient safety advocate for the past 10 years, as a volunteer. I have not worked clinically for 20 years. It is surreal for me to be out of school for 50 years. All of those anniversary festivities have been canceled.
As those party planning emails came, the news on TV was getting more urgent about this new virus. COVID 19 had floated around for a few months. We heard stories about it when a bunch of people got sick on cruises. There were decisions being made about whether or not those people should be allowed back into the US. There were some pretty frightening images of the Chinese who were all wearing masks on the streets and many were dying. Some of the dying were doctors.
This article is featured in the Spring 2020 issue of our allnurses Magazine...
The few nursing home patients in Washington State became the beginnings of an epicenter for this disease. Then New York City, then parts of California. Just a few weeks later, here we are. Every State is affected including Maine with our very small, but older population.
The news is dire, every single day. Every day citizens are stocking up on face masks and hand sanitizers and clearing shelves of other necessities like toilet paper and food staples. There isn’t enough PPE for nurses, doctors and other frontline workers. There aren’t enough testing materials so that every single person who is exposed to COVID 19, or who has a risk factor or who may even have some symptoms, can be tested. We are all being trusted to socially distance ourselves, or to self-quarantine if we have a risk factor or symptoms. All of us are being asked to stay away from others and stay at home as much as possible. Basically we must consider every person around us to be infected…it helps us to socially distance.
Businesses and borders are closed
Still, irresponsible Spring breakers gathered in FL and other warm places, and COVID spread. Some large churches held big gatherings and services in spite of all of the warnings, and COVID spread. A few of our Senators and Representatives got it. Tom Hanks and his wife got it. This virus doesn’t care how famous, religious, rich or powerful you are….it will invade your body. It is a great opportunist.
My son is out of work as of Friday. My husband and I have been spending most of our days at home, but we drive somewhere daily. Our little dog has been the star of our isolation show, and we take him everywhere with us. One day we enjoyed a short trip to the coast of Maine, and I am so luck to be so close to such beauty.
And, this old nurse is going back to work
I knew there was something I could do. I communicated with other healthcare workers and with my patient safety colleagues. The effort to keep patients away from crowded clinics and ERs meant that someone was going to have to keep telling them that it was the safest thing for them, unless they had life threatening symptoms.
I called my local hospital. I asked if they had considered using retired nurses for some sort of telephone triage line. They hadn’t but they were very excited about my idea. Some of their staff was working on a phone tree and an algorithm. I offered to work from home, taking calls. I also offered to recruit other retired nurses to do the same. So, I have recruited 5 other nurses. 4 of us have had our physicals and background checks done already. We hope to be working within the week.
We all can help ...
We all can help, even those of us who are “older’, retired and at a higher risk of disease. Find a way. And for those nurses who are working with COVID 19 patients on the front lines, my hat off to you. Your courage and dedication just blows me away. I do hope that most of you will not face a shortage of needed PPE, and yes, I do know that some of you already have.
We are all in this together. Doing what the experts are telling us is our social responsibility, but nurses young and old can do so much more. We all need to stand together albeit remotely.
