“We dedicate ourselves to caring for others, and then when it’s time to care for ourselves there’s nothing left.”

A nurse describes the toll of caring for critically ill patients during a pandemic.

2020 was supposed to be a big year for nurses. Although we’re not celebrating like we’d hoped to, the importance of nurses in our society is being highlighted and elevated during this pandemic. 

I went from being a pediatric ICU nurse to one day, unexpectedly and without a choice, becoming an adult COVID-19 ICU nurse. The daily physical and mental battle is not getting any easier. The volume of critically ill patients is growing every day, but the number of nurses and resources to care for them isn’t. 

This virus has no boundaries. Patients of all ages are flowing in: intubated, sedated, proned and sadly alone. Nurses are resilient, but what the media isn’t broadcasting is that we are also human beings who experience hardships with the interpersonal part of the job. The anxiety of knowing we are at risk while doing our job is draining. 

We dedicate ourselves to caring for others, and then when it’s time to care for ourselves there’s nothing left. 

“Dear nurses: remind yourselves that you are a warrior, and warriors don’t give up!”

Andrea Lopez -Staff RN