My first day in ICU, I wake up with an unrelenting pit in my stomach. I’m nervous and rightfully so. My husband and I have come up with a plan of how I am going to return home. I will change in the garage, leave my belongings there and shower right away. I won’t pick up the kids from daycare because it is too risky to have them in such close contact with me. This is going to kill me I think—all I want to do after a hard day is hug my babies.
I’m not sure how I am going to feel going into this, I haven’t done it before. I have never cared for a patient that has or is suspected to have COVID-19. I walk into work and am asked a series of questions upon entering.
Everything is different at work.
Nobody is close because of physical distancing; we are all wearing masks and we try our hardest while caring for our patients to preserve PPE. None of this is normal. As nurses, we aren’t taught or programmed to limit our exposure, to make it worth our while to go into these rooms, “group our care” if you will.