He was so grateful for our care. He truly didn’t realize how lucky he was!

A nurse reflects on returning to bedside practice to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of my happiest moments during the COVID-19 crisis has been downgrading a patient from ICU to telemetry. This is my third week working in the COVID ICU, and these patients are so sick. 

Patients are requiring ventilators, and many lifesaving drips to keep them alive. Day in and day out, it often seems that the patients are not getting better. So seeing a patient off the ventilator, talking, and eating on their own is a huge success! 

He was so grateful for our care. He truly didn’t realize how lucky he was to have combated COVID! Many patients are unable to walk out of the hospital. This virus is impacting the lives of many forever. Many patients will require long term care after their hospital stays.

The saddest moments are when a patient passes without their family by their side. The staff are holding their hands, and the physicians and nurses are often FaceTiming or calling the family. But that doesn’t compare with human touch. 

I feel for all these families during this time. It’s hard enough when a loved one passes, but being unable to say goodbye in person is heartbreaking.

Nurses across the country have been the strongest influences on me during this crisis. I have been a Registered Nurse for 7 years. I left the bedside in January to pursue a career as a field support specialist for a medical device company. 

I have expertise in emergency medicine and perioperative nursing. It was pulling at my heartstrings, seeing nurses in New York being understaffed with astronomical patient ratios. 

I knew I had a skill set that could be of help, and could provide the patients better care. It’s impossible to provide excellent patient care when the nurses are overwhelmed.

I wish the world knew that this virus is real, and it impacts every individual differently. Due to people’s preexisting health conditions and age, their body may be unable to successfully fight the virus on their own. 

I am afraid of a resurgence of the virus once social distancing ends. I hope people maintain social distancing and the wearing of masks whenever necessary. I do not want to see our health system overwhelmed by multiple rounds of this virus.

Please keep practicing hand hygiene and social distancing. The vulnerable populations are the ones we need to continue to protect.

Angela Spahr, RN, New York City, USA