Written by Nayana Nag and Dallis Welsh
We have been reading headline stories about how medical workers are being impacted by COVID-19. Some health care professionals are on the front lines and some have seen their work shift online or drastically decrease as elective surgeries and non essential visits are postponed. We wanted to take an up close and personal view by interviewing people we know who work in the medical field. Nayana interviewed her dad’s co-worker who is a pediatric anaesthesiologist. Dallis interviewed her mom who works as an OBGyn nurse and women’s health care manager.
Interview with Dr. Somia Nyshadham
Q: How is the coronavirus affecting your life? Family time?
A: The beginning was a little tough and work was stressful. I got sick when there were not many tests, so I had to quarantine myself from my family, even though I didn’t know I had the coronavirus. I work at a children’s hospital and there is not a lot of testing for kids, and kids can be carriers of the virus so I am taking a huge risk of going to work every day.
Q: Explain the difference of your day with coronavirus and without coronavirus. Is your life busier?
A: It’s off and on. It is not as busy because we are only doing emergency surgeries right now. We have a lot of meetings instead of surgeries. There is way more rule making.
Q: What should we do, to help stop the coronavirus, or to keep from getting it?
A: I mean all the stuff you see on the news, like washing hands and hand sanitizer.
Q: What are some precautions you are taking to stay safe?
A: I change every day into scrubs that are cleaned in a machine. When the coronavirus hit, we weren’t well prepared so we did not have a lot of stuff at the hospital. We also wear a specific mask called an N95. I am an anesthesiologist so I have to put breathing tubes into people which makes people cough, and that could make me get the coronavirus. Since we don’t have a lot of supplies we have to re-use masks and supplies which isn’t what we are supposed to do, but we have to. We also use gowns for corona suspected cases. I don’t ever touch my face at work, and I never eat at work. I only eat before I leave. I wash my hands extremely a lot during the day.
Q: What type of innovations is your hospital experimenting with in order to keep yourself and your patients safe?
A: Our hospital made our own coronavirus tests, however, we don’t have enough kits to make a lot of them. We have gotten HEPA-filters which filter out the virus from breathing tubes. We also have a lot of clinical trials for treatment and vaccines.
Q: What is the mood like in the hospital? How are people keeping their spirits up during this time?
A: Everyone is very tense. People are very worried. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is offering mental health hotlines as well and there are also meditation sessions. We celebrate people who get better and we try not to get upset about the people who don’t.
Q: We know of people in the community who are 3D printing face shields and sewing masks for hospitals – are these items making their way to you? Are they helpful or are there other ways that you would like to see the community help out?
A: I have gotten 3D printed face shields from Georgia Tech. I also got into a doctor’s mom group on Facebook and when you need supplies they drop it off at your house. My cousin also sent me masks that her company gave her and there were over 100 masks.
Interview with Nurse Kaprice Welsh
Q: How is the coronavirus affecting your daily life? Family time?
A: The coronavirus is affecting my daily life by causing me to work from home and have all of my meetings virtually. I no longer need to drive 35 to 40 minutes to Pace Academy every day to drop my children at school. It has been a more laid back experience and allowed for a lot of quality time with my children at home. I have cooked and cleaned more. I also have had more time for hobbies that I enjoy like reading and gardening. It has slowed down my busy lifestyle.
Q: What should we do, to help stop coronavirus, or to keep from getting it?
A: We should be sure we are following the CDC and medical advice of physicians. We should maintain social distancing, not gather with more than 10 people at a time, wear masks in public and not touch them, use hand sanitizer, and develop good hand washing techniques.
Q; What are some precautions you are taking to stay safe?
A: “I am wearing my mask when I go to the supermarket. I am sanitizing the shopping cart handle, using hand sanitizer when I touch surfaces and using gloves at checkout on the keypad. When I get home, I discard the bags, wipe down the groceries, wipe the countertops with Lysol, and wash my hands thoroughly.”
Q: What type of innovations is your hospital experimenting with in order to keep yourself and your patients safe?
A: They take every employee’s temperature when you arrive at the hospital and make you sanitize your hands. They require all employees to wear a mask at all times. They encourage patients’ families to wear masks while with the patient. There is only one visitor allowed per pregnant woman in labor.
Q: What is the mood like in the hospital? How are people keeping their spirits up during this time?
A: People are afraid and cautious because people have come in and have not been honest about their symptoms and sometimes their COVID-19 positive status. Doctors and nurses are also worried about running out of protective gear to protect them while they work in the hospital. People are trying to remain optimistic and the doctors have provided food and snacks for the staff. We have continued to joke around and keep the mood as jovial as possible at work.
Q: We know of people in the community who are 3D printing face shields and sewing masks for hospitals – are these items making their way to you? Are they helpful or are there other ways that you would like to see the community help out?
A: One of the midwives in our group made our nice face masks to wear. Otherwise, I have not received any other face masks. I am reusing the ones I have. I would like for people to follow the rules, stay home, and when coming to the hospital not to come sick and be honest about their symptoms.