To begin, I start by saying that the novel Coronavirus pandemic took us all by surprise and forced us into a new norm. Thinking back to a year ago, we were all scared, adjusting, and waiting for life to return to normal. Life has yet to return to normal. In these trying times, people started to work from home, keep their children out of school, quit their jobs to stay safe at home. The healthcare force was at the forefront and didn’t necessarily have the option to work from home or quarantine. Nurses were thrown into this pandemic with no knowledge and were asked to perform some of the toughest jobs. I am proud to be following in the footsteps of some of the most courageous nurses.
I remember an article that came out that has stuck with me for a year now. It described how when children play in the coming years, the stuffed toy they will choose to play superhero with will be the nurse. Without thought, nurses all across the world sacrificed their health for the safety and well being of others. Nurses and healthcare workers have gotten much applause, but they will never receive the thank you that they truly deserve. Working in a COVID unit could not have been easy, but nurses stepped up and cared for patients who were dying from this new virus.
Looking back at my life a year ago, I was not fighting a pandemic in a hospital and I was not giving support to patients who were dying. I was living at home with my parents and two brothers in a tiny town in Connecticut. We were untouched by COVID for quite sometime, awaiting its arrival. I watched the news and read articles, but never got close to COVID like the healthcare workers did. I thought often how I would’ve reacted, had I been a nurse working through the pandemic. I think about my personal traits that would’ve helped me to succeed in caring for patients with coronavirus. I am patient, kind, caring and sensitive. I feel that working on a COVID unit would’ve tested me and made me a better nurse. I think how I would’ve had to loose patients, get stronger both mentally and physically and how I would’ve had to so closely protect those around me.
I often reflect on the two nights that I did spend in a hospital in early June. I realized quickly that the time I spent there was quiet. I could have no visitors and was in a room alone. I began to understand why nurses played multiple roles through the pandemic. Nurses became family to patients, they provided selfless care to those in dire need. Without the ability to have visitors, nurses took on every role for a patient. The caregiver, family, friend, you name it, the nurse was there to do it. I am not a nurse yet, but when I am, I hope to provide even half the care the nurses of the pandemic provided.
As for the future of nursing, I think that this pandemic created many positive outcomes and created an awareness for nurses and all that they do. I think the pandemic allowed people to truly understand what goes into healthcare and that it is never an easy job, but we are so keen on caring for others that it’s a job we enjoy doing. I think that for nurses the pandemic created a rough road and for some was the end to their nursing careers. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t fun and nurses were there to brave it all. Some nurses realized that they truly were meant to be nurses and for others they realized that they had another calling. Nursing isn’t for everyone and the pandemic made that clear. The future of nursing looks different now, post-pandemic. Speaking for students, this year has been one of the most difficult. I have never personally felt my mental health be at such a low. I have struggled this year, adapting to all the new norms while being in a vigorous course. It has been challenging to say the least. Although it has been hard, it has also allowed me to dig deep and realize who I am. I realized that I am trying my best, putting my best foot forward and doing the most that I can.
The pandemic impacted education in so many ways. Luckily, we were able to resume in person classes, but others aren’t so lucky. This shift in education will create hardships in nursing. Students will graduate and will have had significantly less in person clinical time, less patient interaction and less practice in a real hospital. Working directly with patients and in the hospital is such an important and crucial aspect in nursing and to have those opportunities taken away is hard. Nursing programs had to figure out how to provide pandemic safe education while giving students the access to as much nursing experience as possible, which was not easy.
Not only did the pandemic impact education, but it of course impacted everyone and everything. The future looks different and that is for sure. Our communities have learned to live differently and although there are better days ahead, we will always be impacted by COVID-19. I do feel that in some ways, the impact left will be positive. But I also truly feel that the impacts of Coronavirus on community health is detrimental. Mental health is at a low, physical well-being has decreased. We have all learned to live in a bubble and protect ourselves from everything, but for so many, this bubble is starting to feel claustrophobic. People are feeling trapped and worried life will never return to normal. My personal opinion is that if people can perform activities in the safest ways, it is okay to do them. I personally have felt the effects of this pandemic on my mental health. And I say, to increase the well-being of our communities, we must learn how to be safe, but have fun. I think that nurses play a role in all of this. Nurses can speak to the pandemic and their experiences. Nurses will play a role in getting life closer to normal because they know the limits of the virus. Nurses aren’t only here to care for the sick, but to educate the healthy and help to keep them safe and well. To conclude, I want to say, I am proud to be entering the nursing career and I am proud of every nurse that has worked through this pandemic. There were ups and downs, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Our work is never easy, but it can be so rewarding. I feel honored sometimes to have been here for the pandemic and be able to see that when the world feels like it is crumbling, there are always people who care so deeply about others, these people are healthcare workers. We are strong, resilient and compassionate and will continue to provide the best care we can for those in need.
