National Nurses Day During COVID-19
As the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses had to temporarily close its doors. That is not the case for many in the healthcare industry.
Patients need the care and support of their physicians, and as a committed partner to specialty physicians across the country, Altus Infusion continues to work hard every day to meet its doctors’ and patients’ needs. As we celebrate National Nurses Day 2020, now more than ever, people appreciate the vital role that nurses play in saving lives.
Today, we want to extend our gratitude to all our nurses and MA’s who continue to work on-site at our physician offices to care for patients. Thank you for your resilience during these challenging days.
We also want to share how some of our nurses and MA’s are adjusting during this time and how their work continues to help patients.
Get to Know Some of Our Nurses: Answering 5 Questions on Nurses Day
Nurses Day should be every day! At Altus Infusion, we are grateful and blessed to have some of the top-rated nurses nationwide working alongside our valued physicians. We had the opportunity to interview a few of these medical heroes
Nurse Rachel Voss
Meet Nurse Rachel Voss RN, BSN S087. Just like many of us, she really misses her grandparents.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of being a nurse?A: I love being able to get to know my patients and help them through hard times in their life.
Q: What made you become a nurse?
A: I’m not sure, but I’ve wanted to be a nurse my entire life.
Q: What are some things you enjoy doing outside of your life as a nurse?
A: Hiking, boating, riding my bike, shopping on Amazon, and fishing
Q: What is your proudest moment as a nurse?
A: I’m proud every day of being a nurse. I love being a resource for both patients and doctors.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge of being a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic?A: Not being able to hug and kiss my grandparents, and worrying for their safety.
Nurse Rachael Black
Our second nurse is Rachael Black, BSN, RN. Learn how her patients really make her feel like what she is, an angel in scrubs.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of being a nurse?A: I love that I have the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.
Q: What made you become a nurse?
A: I had a bad experience with the nursing staff while delivering one of my children. I wanted to become a nurse so that any patient of mine would never feel the way I was made to feel.
Q: What are some things you enjoy doing outside of your life as a nurse?A: I love to be outside with my family. We usually go to the beach, park, or arcade; however, we have recently had to find other things to do at home. I am growing flowers and potatoes right now, and our spring-cleaning just keeps happening.
Q: What is your proudest moment as a nurse?
A: While I was working in the hospital, I had a patient hand me a piece of paper. On the paper she had written my “angel name” that she gave me. It really touched my heart that she thought that highly of me.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge of being a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic?A: I trust my patients and they’re all screened prior to coming in, so I try not to let the worry consume me. Most of them have been with me since I was pregnant (he’s 16 months now) and they are like my family, so I know they wouldn’t come near me knowing they could possibly have the virus or been exposed.
Nurse Dorothy Christopher
Dorothy Christopher MSN RN OCN is the third nurse we had the honor of interviewing. Get to know the challenges of wearing PPE units and being separated from her mother.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of being a nurse?A: I worked for years in the emergency department, and I saw so many tragedies. Now I work with oncology/hematology patients. A lot of people may think that is a depressing place to work, but I find it to be the opposite. I’ve seen a group of women cancer survivors, some of them were very sick and have incurable breast cancer, decide to bond together and complete a triathlon as a team. I’ve seen patients diagnosed with cancer go through treatment and come out on the other side cancer-free and get their life back. On the other side of it, there are lots of people who know from the beginning that they’re not going to make it. But to see them fight the disease anyway so they can spend more time watching their kids grow up, watching their grandkids grow up, or just doing whatever it is they need to do to close out their life, that’s just as inspiring. I feel so inspired by my patients.
Q: What made you become a nurse?
A: A majority of my family members are healthcare workers. My mother was a live-in nurse for over 30 years and when I was a child, she would take me with her sometimes and I would help her take care of her patients. I truly believe that nursing is my calling and it’s in my nature.
Q: What are some things you enjoy doing outside of your life as a nurse?A: I really enjoy spending time with my family, especially my 88-year old mother. I love hearing family stories and sharing memories with my loved ones. I also love taking walks in the park with my dog and my feeding my fish.
Q: What is your proudest moment as a nurse?A: The day I passed the NClex, I screamed out loud, ” I finally made it”. LOL
Q: What has been the biggest challenge of being a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic?A: As a per diem bedside ICU nurse, when you add PPE, your whole routine changes, especially if you do not have the proper PPE that is needed. It’s hot, it’s hard to talk, and hard to breathe. Your glasses fog up when you have a mask on. You’re motioning to others outside the room in a kind of horrible game of charades [to get] what you need if available, some use walkie-talkies, once again if available. You have to cluster your care. You worry about every step you take and everything you touch inside and outside the room, and you wash your hands till they’re raw, literally. To add to this all, I am unable to see my 88 year old mother, I could see her through her kitchen window but she requested for me not to because seeing me without touching me would only break her heart, that is what she tells me. I am in tears even answering these questions.
Nurse Jacqueline Jones RN
Next on our list of featured nurses is Jacqueline Jones RN who had been previously voted, “Nurse Manager of the Year”. Get to know a little about her and how she believes in educating others on how serious this current pandemic is.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of being a nurse?A: My favorite aspect of being a nurse is offering compassion and helping another person through whatever they are facing. It may be an acute or chronic disease in which they are facing pain, constant sickness, depression, anxiety and a multitude of symptoms. Sometimes just listening to everything they are feeling and facing can make someone feel special and cared for. Providing care that helps them to feel better physically and emotionally is very satisfying.
Q: What made you become a nurse?A: As a child I was in the hospital and the nursing staff was so warm and helpful. I just knew then that I wanted to be just like them and be able to help people in any way that I could.
Q: What are some things you enjoy doing outside of your life as a nurse?A: I love to travel and explore places around the world. I enjoy learning about new cultures and how others live. I also enjoy spending time with my family and grandchildren.
Q: What is your proudest moment as a nurse?A: My proudest moment as a nurse was when I was voted, “Nurse Manager of the Year” by my peers.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge of being a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic?A: Educating others that are not taking this pandemic seriously. There are some that think this won’t happen to them or their family, when in reality it could affect anyone.
Happy Nurses Day to All!
Thank you to all who took the time in their hectic schedules to answer our Nurse Day interviews so that we can get to know a little bit about each of you. We also would like to thank each and every nurse as well as healthcare workers across the county that are currently on the front lines. You are truly not only at the heart of healthcare, but at the heart of America.
