India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Mary (name changed for the report), who is an RN at a large hospital in the state of Connecticut recalls. “I was shocked to learn that a 41 year old male patient I had admitted and had taken care of for over a week has come positive for Covid-19, the deadly virus that has affected over a million people in the United States alone.”
This is not the first patient Mary had worked with for weeks/days, not knowing that the patient had hidden symptoms of Covid-19 since the pandemic broke out over two months ago. The fear of being exposed to the symptoms while serving patients who are not diagnosed with but carry the virus, has been devastating.
Mary does not work on a unit assigned to work with Covid positive patients, but has been unknowingly caring for many such patients, risking her own life and that of her family. She was called to work on the Corona Units, which have now come to occupy entire five floors in addition to the ICU/EDs in her hospital, because of an overwhelming flow of people diagnosed with the deadly virus.
Inadequate testing for corona virus leads to healthcare professionals, who are heart and soul of healthcare delivery system; being exposed to and being infected themselves and endangering the safety of their loved ones at home.A vast majority of the nearly two-dozen clinical staff at Mary’s hospital unit have become positive for the virus. Mary reports with anxiety and fear. “One of my colleagues, with whom I have worked for over a decade has been in the ICU for over two weeks now, struggling for her life. Another colleague, and everyone in her family have been positive for the virus. Many others from my Unit are still recovering or struggling to recover from the deadly virus that has taken away nearly 60,000 lives in the country.”
Mary herself had shown symptoms that go with people diagnosed with Corona virus, and has been self-quarantined for the past six weeks, mostly isolating in her room after work and with minimum contact with her husband and their three daughters.
The experiences of nurses, who are on the front line, caring for patients, have been traumatic to say the least. SumanaGaddam, President of IANA-North Carolina, says, “Nurses are the life and soul of the healthcare profession, providing comfort, kindness, and care to patient’s every day. It’s indeed a challenging job that requires hard work, dedication, and a very thick skin. Nurses are the ultimate healthcare monitors – vigilant observers and problem solvers, poised to take action whatever the challenge. Our mindset is one of preserving the unique attributes of our roles while embracing the progress that helps us excel.”
During this pandemic affecting the entire world, the role of Nurses has become even more challenging in every possible way. A nurse observed, “The stress level at work is unprecedented. We work hard to keep people alive. It’s painful and traumatic to watch my patients die without being allowed to see their loved ones even at their death bed. Working in ICU wearing N95 mask for 13 hours gives me terrible headaches. I get home and cry in the shower because I don’t want my family to see it.”
The experience of thisnurse is shared by many around the country.Shyla who works in the Medical ICU at a leading healthcare facility in Connecticut says, “In the past few weeks, the entire unit is filled with only COVID patients now. The large ICU has been turned into exclusively for treating COVID patients, calling it now Covid-ICU.”
Describing that all the patients with are “extremely sick, and most of them are on the ventilator for weeks, it is very depressing to work with patients during this pandemic,” Shyla says, “We are working hard all day and night, don’t see the progress in several patients.”
Kavya from Long Island, New York who works in a Rehabilitation Unit at a local hospital says, “Now we are treating only post Covid patients on my Unit. Among all the patients and negative news about the losses, I was glad to discharge a 68yrs old patient home last week. He had come to the hospital for kidney transplant, and had subsequently developed Covid and was faced with several complications.
There are several nurses who have sacrificed their lives while caring for the patients with Covid 19. Aleyamma John, 65, a registered nurse at a New York City Queens Hospital Center, passed away on Tuesday, April 7. She began her career at Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, before moving on to the NYC Health + Hospitals system in 2003.
“We honor Aleyamma’s record of service to the patients of New York, and her career spanning record of National Association of Indian Nurses of America (NAINA) membership and participation,” Agnes Therady, RN, and currently serving as the President of NAINA, the foremost organization for all professional nurses of Asian Indian heritage in the US since 2006, said.
SumanaGaddamrightly points out, “Nurses aspire to create a kind of culture that “Everyone Matters”, a culture that puts people first and where true success is measured by the way we touch the lives of people in which all members can realize their professional and personal gifts matters, and share those gifts with others. Everyone matters is about everybody’s value, that we all count, that we all should stand tall for who we are, as we are. At the end, it is about truly caring for every precious human being whose life we touch. It’s all about bringing our deepest sense of right authentic caring and high ideas to this association.”
As U.S. health care facilities struggle to fill current registered nurse staffing vacancies, a more critical nurse undersupply has been foreseen over the next few decades. Nurses who migrate from India to the US undergo both socio-cultural and workplace adjustments. They deal with loss, change and sacrifice. Workplace adjustments include communication issues, dealing with a new healthcare system and adapting to an expanded role of nurses. However, in a very short time, they adapt and master the skills and shine as the best among the nursing community.
Nurses from India and those of Indian origin have made an impact on the patients they care for. In recent decades, the US has been looking to India to alleviate its shortage for nurses as Indian schools are churning out professionals matching American standards. “India is now being recognized as an area which offers bachelor-degree nurses and a good health care system with an abundance of nurses,” Mary Prascher, HRD manager at Texas- based Triad Hospitals was quoted as saying by the Dallas Morning News.
”It is the next revolution,” said SujanaChakravarty, secretary general of the Trained Nurses Association of India, a trade group in New Delhi. ”And nurses are already outwitting software programmers by getting paid a lot better.”
While expressing deep sorrow for the loss of Asian American Nurses and several others, who have been diagnosed with Covid positive, Agnes Therady says, “As we look to the future, I am confident that we can work together to improve our lives and that of others, innovate our practice, and rise to the top as authentic leaders and exceptional nurses. The success of NAINA is largely driven by the dedication and commitment of its members, their countless hours of selfless service and hard work.”
Nurses such as Mary, Shyla, Ciji and Kavya continue to play a critical role to alleviate patients of their illnesses, especially during this time of pandemic,and provide critical care to the patients in this country. During these testing times, it’s a challenge to stay positive at work and at home. Kavya and her husband who also works in the healthcare field, were both positive for Covid. They have now recovered from the deadly virus and have returned to work. Kavya says, “I hope we have some antibodies at home. My two daughters are doing their on-line classes, which they are not excited about. But this is the new reality we have to live with day in day out.”
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
