Row 1 – Diane Razo, Kasie Moore, Samantha Patel, Sherryl Hunter, Taylor Gallo
Row 2 – Norman Drawdy, Debbie Murray, Kathy Connelly, Kristian Witt, Mariah Mickens, Adola Rutledge, Sabine Hershberger, Nicole Greenleaf, Nicole Viskovich
Row 3 – Dr. Matthew McLaughlin, Felicia Ferguson, Netasha Singleton
Row 2 – Norman Drawdy, Debbie Murray, Kathy Connelly, Kristian Witt, Mariah Mickens, Adola Rutledge, Sabine Hershberger, Nicole Greenleaf, Nicole Viskovich
Row 3 – Dr. Matthew McLaughlin, Felicia Ferguson, Netasha Singleton
May 2021
ICU Team
ICU
Beaufort Memorial Hospital
Beaufort
,
SC
United States
Meredith Anderson, RN
April Buquet, RN
Candy Chappell, RN
Kayla Chappell, RN
Christine Choe, RN
Kathy Connelly, RN
Norman Drawdy, RN
John Foster, RN
Taylor Gallo, RN
Mimi Glenn, RN
Cynthia Greene, RN
Nicole Greenleaf, RN
Valisa Griswold, RN
Sabine Hershberger, RN
Sherryl Hunter, RN
Brittany Johnson, RN
Carri Knapp, RN
Nathan Leigh, RN
David Linford, RN
Debbie Murray, RN
Samantha Patel, RN
Renee Pritchard, RN
Taylor Robinson, RN
Lenore Stacks, RN
Ashlee Townsend, RN
Nicole Viskovich, RN
Kristian Witt, RN
ShanTerrah Nelson, CNA
Felicia Ferguson, CNA
Netasha Singleton, Unit Secretary
Adola Rutledge, Unit Secretary
April Buquet, RN
Candy Chappell, RN
Kayla Chappell, RN
Christine Choe, RN
Kathy Connelly, RN
Norman Drawdy, RN
John Foster, RN
Taylor Gallo, RN
Mimi Glenn, RN
Cynthia Greene, RN
Nicole Greenleaf, RN
Valisa Griswold, RN
Sabine Hershberger, RN
Sherryl Hunter, RN
Brittany Johnson, RN
Carri Knapp, RN
Nathan Leigh, RN
David Linford, RN
Debbie Murray, RN
Samantha Patel, RN
Renee Pritchard, RN
Taylor Robinson, RN
Lenore Stacks, RN
Ashlee Townsend, RN
Nicole Viskovich, RN
Kristian Witt, RN
ShanTerrah Nelson, CNA
Felicia Ferguson, CNA
Netasha Singleton, Unit Secretary
Adola Rutledge, Unit Secretary
The ICU nurses will never be the same again, but there is a true sense of camaraderie that developed and will never be broken.
I have this meme posted on my wall - How did it feel to be a nurse during the pandemic of 2020? Remember when the Titanic was sinking and the band continued to play, well that was us. It is nearly impossible to describe nursing in the ICU during the pandemic, you see, sometimes it is too painful to discuss. While physically it was challenging, it was the emotional toll that has left the most scars.
In order to understand what it was like, I am inviting you to look into our unit through the eyes of an ICU nurse. I will spare the brutality of the details and share the emotional journey where a thousand moments of compassionate care revealed the ultimate teamwork. While there were multiple singular heroic acts – together, the ICU nurses, as a team, navigated a global pandemic and will forever be my true heroes. Across the nation many ICU nurses and units fell apart, yet today, if you look into our unit, you will see the same nurses that were here at the beginning, still advocating and caring for our patients. This speaks volumes about their resilience.
The ICU is already a high-pressure environment, and this was clearly elevated by the pandemic. We entered into the pandemic in March of 2020 with little knowledge of Covid-19 and how to provide care to our patients and for their own selves. There was great fear about infecting their own families. I know one ICU nurse lived in her camper so as not to infect her husband with a cancer diagnosis. Most of them created their own disrobing techniques when they arrived home. Many self-isolated from their own families, choosing to protect their families.
Each day was unpredictable, especially in the beginning, as no one knew about how Covid-19 progressed, nor the course of treatment. Our protocols and treatment plans were being created as they worked. So each shift brought new policies, new meds and new treatments. Have you ever seen a vented patient with eight IVs infusing being proned? It is an amazing feat. Our ICU nurses did this regularly for our patients. A common theme throughout this period was “Hey, did you read about this new treatment?” And shortly thereafter, we would be doing it in our ICU. Our ICU nurses showed their adaptability every single shift.
The nurses wore full PPE including the N95 mask. No one entered a room without full gear. Until you have worn an N95 and shield and plastic gown plus for a 12-hour shift, you will never understand the physical exhaustion involved in the process. I saw their faces at the end of their shifts; the masks had left indentations and raised red areas. Sores formed on their ears from the elastic bands, but out in the world people were sewing buttons on headbands to save the day. Yet our ICU nurses persevered.
Now for the tough part, the deaths. Every nurse in the ICU has a story of the heavy emotional toll of death and dying and how it has impacted them. You see, there were no visitors in the ICU, so families could not see their loved ones. Each nurse had a sense of helplessness as they face-timed or called families, always going above and beyond to create a sense of inclusiveness, but really they were alone. The burden of death was upon their shoulders as they became the family of the patient, so they would not die alone. Many times I watched as the nurses consoled each other after a death in our unit. These patients often spent eight to ten weeks with us, they were young and middle-aged, and yes, some were old. But they were ours. You can’t imagine what it is like to place patients into a body bag, sometimes two or three times a day. I still cry about this, I cry for our patients and their families, but I cry for our nurses and the emotional suffering they endured. I cry now as I write this.
But these same nurses showed up each shift they were scheduled, many picked up extra shifts to help with our constant high census. They were so thankful to our community and hospital for the many meals provided and beautiful signs outside of our hospital. They will never know how much that meant.
The ICU nurses will never be the same again, but there is true sense of camaraderie that developed and will never be broken. Unless you were there you will never understand how much they gave of themselves for Covid–19. I think they would tell you how proud they are to be front-line workers during the pandemic, I know I am proud of them. They each have a place in my heart for the compassion they showed to our patients, their families, and each other. They are my heroes.
In order to understand what it was like, I am inviting you to look into our unit through the eyes of an ICU nurse. I will spare the brutality of the details and share the emotional journey where a thousand moments of compassionate care revealed the ultimate teamwork. While there were multiple singular heroic acts – together, the ICU nurses, as a team, navigated a global pandemic and will forever be my true heroes. Across the nation many ICU nurses and units fell apart, yet today, if you look into our unit, you will see the same nurses that were here at the beginning, still advocating and caring for our patients. This speaks volumes about their resilience.
The ICU is already a high-pressure environment, and this was clearly elevated by the pandemic. We entered into the pandemic in March of 2020 with little knowledge of Covid-19 and how to provide care to our patients and for their own selves. There was great fear about infecting their own families. I know one ICU nurse lived in her camper so as not to infect her husband with a cancer diagnosis. Most of them created their own disrobing techniques when they arrived home. Many self-isolated from their own families, choosing to protect their families.
Each day was unpredictable, especially in the beginning, as no one knew about how Covid-19 progressed, nor the course of treatment. Our protocols and treatment plans were being created as they worked. So each shift brought new policies, new meds and new treatments. Have you ever seen a vented patient with eight IVs infusing being proned? It is an amazing feat. Our ICU nurses did this regularly for our patients. A common theme throughout this period was “Hey, did you read about this new treatment?” And shortly thereafter, we would be doing it in our ICU. Our ICU nurses showed their adaptability every single shift.
The nurses wore full PPE including the N95 mask. No one entered a room without full gear. Until you have worn an N95 and shield and plastic gown plus for a 12-hour shift, you will never understand the physical exhaustion involved in the process. I saw their faces at the end of their shifts; the masks had left indentations and raised red areas. Sores formed on their ears from the elastic bands, but out in the world people were sewing buttons on headbands to save the day. Yet our ICU nurses persevered.
Now for the tough part, the deaths. Every nurse in the ICU has a story of the heavy emotional toll of death and dying and how it has impacted them. You see, there were no visitors in the ICU, so families could not see their loved ones. Each nurse had a sense of helplessness as they face-timed or called families, always going above and beyond to create a sense of inclusiveness, but really they were alone. The burden of death was upon their shoulders as they became the family of the patient, so they would not die alone. Many times I watched as the nurses consoled each other after a death in our unit. These patients often spent eight to ten weeks with us, they were young and middle-aged, and yes, some were old. But they were ours. You can’t imagine what it is like to place patients into a body bag, sometimes two or three times a day. I still cry about this, I cry for our patients and their families, but I cry for our nurses and the emotional suffering they endured. I cry now as I write this.
But these same nurses showed up each shift they were scheduled, many picked up extra shifts to help with our constant high census. They were so thankful to our community and hospital for the many meals provided and beautiful signs outside of our hospital. They will never know how much that meant.
The ICU nurses will never be the same again, but there is true sense of camaraderie that developed and will never be broken. Unless you were there you will never understand how much they gave of themselves for Covid–19. I think they would tell you how proud they are to be front-line workers during the pandemic, I know I am proud of them. They each have a place in my heart for the compassion they showed to our patients, their families, and each other. They are my heroes.