I am grateful to have survived, and I am back at work to continue to help as much as I can.
An Emergency Department Nurse describes what drove her to become a nurse, and her own experience with catching COVID-19.
In college while studying to pursue medicine, I completed my bachelor’s degree in biology and became an EMT. During my shifts as an EMT I shadowed the nurses in the Emergency Department. To me, they represented how a team should work. I was inspired, and I persuaded myself to become a nurse.
I completed an accelerated program in nursing and began my role as a trauma/Emergency Department nurse.
As the pandemic hit New York City hard, my colleagues and I witnessed patients coming in with difficulty breathing, low oxygen saturation, and with intense fear. Our trauma bay can handle 4-6 patients, but during the surge we had numbers in the teens and it was nonstop chaos.
Patients deteriorated rapidly and intubation was performed many times throughout each shift. I unfortunately caught COVID-19 and had to battle symptoms for weeks.
I am grateful to have survived, and I am back at work to continue to help as much as I can.
I am most afraid that a second wave or another pandemic may arise, and that health institutions will not be prepared.
The honor that I have had to serve patients and have their families, and connect with them wherever I could, has been the best blessing of this pandemic. It has taught me that in the end, all that matters is family and loved ones. Allowing family members to Facetime their loved ones has given me peace of mind at work and inspired me to keep working and understanding that there is so much more than fear.
The saddest moments of the crisis have been watching patients pass away. Even with the best treatments and pushing everything we can to help these patients, it’s been difficult to cope with.
My husband Rezaul has been the biggest influence on me during the COVID-19 crisis. His dedication and fearless attitude despite the chaos has pushed me to be fearless as well.
I wish the world knew that COVID-19 may be just a sign of how vulnerable we all are.
Rifat Rahman, Emergency department Nurse, Brooklyn, NY