I know I’ve mentioned previously, if only briefly, that I work in healthcare. I am a nurse practitioner working and managing a private practice. I became a nurse practitioner a little over 10 years ago. I was already in a management role at the practice where I work but I was looking for something more, something more meaningful. I completed an accelerated program to earn my RN and Bachelor’s in nursing then my Master’s in nursing and my nurse practitioner certification. All in all it took be about 3 years to complete my education and training but it was well worth it considering the variety of tasks I would be responsible for each day.
I remember in school we talked, vaguely, about epidemics and pandemics. We all learned how to give the small pox vaccine in case that particular virus ever reared it’s ugly head. We talked about nuclear disasters and about how to respond, if able. It all seemed so “cut and paste.” It was a cookie cutter conversation for something that would never happen. I don’t think any of my professor’s actually believed there would be global pandemic in our lifetime which probably explains the lack of passion in those lectures. I guess if any of us really took the time to think on it we’d probably have come to a more accurate conclusion, something along the lines of “of course it’s likely there will be a pandemic considering how relaxed we all were with regards to travel, cross contamination, etc.” I mean statistically the odds must have been in favor of a pandemic at some point, right?
I remember that day in March of 2020 when it became crystal clear that we weren’t escaping the COVID 19 pandemic. We started receiving daily emails and updates from the department of health, local hospitals, the CDC and the governor. Our lives were about to change in ways we never would have anticipated. Are we really going to wear PPE? Are we really going to bring in sick patients? Why can’t we wear N95 masks even if they weren’t professionally fit tested, don’t they provide better protection than surgical masks?
I remember the first day I put on a mask at work. I experienced what I can only describe as an impending sense of doom. I asked myself “once I put on this mask, when will I take it off again?” The answer, although not known at the time, is “I don’t know.” The fact is we really still don’t know. The rest of the world is opening up, for better or worse – probably worse given the rising infection rates and I’m still putting on gowns, gloves, masks and goggles for my sick patients. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about my protective equipment, I’m just pointing out that as things are easing up in many places the view through the lenses of my foggy goggles hasn’t changed all that much.
Our job in the community was much different than the healthcare workers in the hospitals. I applaud the hospital workers for all that they have done and continue to do. Although we brought sick patients to our office, we tested for COVID and educated patients about transmission, quarantine, isolation, risk factors, red flags, etc. the majority of our patients were not as critically ill as those in the hospitals. We manned our phones with over a 100 calls waiting in the queues on some days and we plugged along. We knew that answering phones and questions as well as bringing in the patients that we could may make a difference in the burden at the local hospitals. This was a time when we were on a much larger team working towards a much larger and literally, life changing goal.
These are just some thoughts I’ve been ruminating on. COVID has changed everything over the past 2 years and we’re still learning to try and live with it. When will it end? Are we destined for endless surges of new variants? In reality, only time will tell but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
The Science Of Behavior 