Heather, Nurse, Chicago
By Michael Tedder
Shift Change tells the stories of ordinary people on the frontlines during a transformational period in American life. The goal of this project is to raise funds for Supply Drop Brooklyn, a charitable organization that partners with local restaurants to deliver meals to healthcare workers at affected hospitals. Your help can make a critical difference. Please visit Supply Drop and learn how you can make a contribution. For more information about this project, check out our About page.
Heather is a nurse at a hospital in Chicago, Illinois. This is her story.
How long have you been in Chicago?
I have only been out here for 10 days now. I came out here for a Crisis Response contract for 12 weeks.
When did you decide to become a nurse?
I decided towards the end of high school that I wanted to go into nursing. My mom’s friend had a baby and we went to visit her in the hospital. I remember seeing that the nurses were so present with her and with the baby, and I was so impressed with them. So I pursued that in college, and towards the end of nursing school I decided I wanted to work in the ER, and that’s where I’ve been ever since.
What are your hopes for today and the future?
I just started travel nursing in December, which is how I ended up taking this contract now. It’s definitely something that I want to continue to do for at least a year or so, just to see what else is out there. It’s given me a really good perspective about the way different hospitals and different emergency departments are run.
How has your life changed since the coronavirus struck?
Like with anyone else it changed a lot of my plans. Doing the travel nursing, it was easy for me to be like, “this is a time to go somewhere where there is the most need,” which is why I decided to come to Chicago. As far as nursing goes, there have definitely been changes to the way we practice in the emergency department. So many of the patients that we’re seeing now, you’re assuming from the get-go that they could possibly have COVID-19, whether they’re exhibiting symptoms or not, so I’m not getting to spend as much time with my patients.
As nurses, a lot of what we do has to be hands-on in the room. But we’re definitely consciously trying to do what we call “cluster the care” of those patients, and limit the amount of time we spend checking in on them and getting to know them, and that’s been really different.
How has this changed your view of your profession?
I think it’s made me appreciate the other areas of nursing more. Labor and delivery nurses spend a lot of time with their patients, and they don’t have the luxury of stepping out of the room. They are dealing with the fact that visitors are so limited, so they are having to find creative ways to incorporate families in these big events.
I think it’s also created some anxiety because you realize as a nurse you are not necessarily guaranteed job security. There are hospitals that have actually had much fewer patients, because people are doing the right things and staying home. Hospitals are losing money right now because there’s no elective surgeries going on, so they are trying to find ways to save money, and one of those ways is by cutting unnecessary staff. I think there’s this idea that healthcare workers, in general, are in such high demand right now, but a lot of people are having to go into different areas of nursing. They might have to be trained in something that is brand new for them, or they might be furloughed — and that’s happening even in the ER.
What is the most difficult and frustrating part of this for you?
I think the most frustrating part is not really knowing what is going to happen, and not knowing what information is correct or not. It’s sometimes hard at work because things are changing every day. It’s hard to feel like I am doing a good job for my patients if I don’t always have what I need to do a good job.
How long do you think you are going to be in Chicago for?
It’s a 12-week assignment so I’m supposed to be here through the end of June. Depending on what happens with the spread of this virus will determine whether I am here longer or not. The Chicago community is very supportive. You see signs when you are walking down the street, recognizing the essential workers and first responders. People will cheer every night at 8 p.m., and I really appreciate that. It’s definitely a place I could see myself staying if they needed me.
How does it make you feel when people cheer for you?
It’s really nice. You do sometimes feel underappreciated in healthcare, and it has been really nice to feel like people recognize what we are doing and have a better insight into it. It feels a little overwhelming because we’re not used to it. We’re so used to being the ones who care for others, and I think we have to be like “you know, we actually do need this support right now.”
What are you listening to?
I’ve been listening to probably more podcasts than usual. I’ve been listening to Skimm This, which is a quick 15-minute news update at the end of the day. They’re obviously covering a lot of the virus. Spotify has these curated playlists that I’ll listen to. They have one called Mood Booster, which is more poppy, upbeat songs. When I get tired of the news, I listen to something more uplifting.
