It’s been a long time that I haven’t posted anything on my blog. I was so busy with my work on attending to Corona Positive patients which need to sign up for extra shift because of too many number of patients that needs immediate and extra attention and care.
March 2020- We had the first COVID 19 positive patient in our unit. We also have Patients under investigation (PUI). I should say there was a ratio of 1:1 as to attending nurse in a patient. We don’t recycle our PPE’s. We converted some rooms to negative pressure rooms. We had a safety monitor and we practice airborne, contact and droplets precautions on all patients regardless if they are intubated, on BIPAP, etc.
April 2020- Our hospital built extra tents outside ER. We do the preparation for the surge, daily briefing meetings after work, huddles, ratio of nurse to patient was the same. I guess we are very much prepared in admitting COVID 19 positive cases but Guess what? we don’t have much COVID 19 positive patients during this time. Nurses who passes the N95 test were the ones who are always assigned to attend to all COVII 19 positive patients.
May 2020- COVID 19 cases are still under control. The hospital started to convert tele floors for COVID 19 positive patients to keep those intubated and unstable at the ICU. Not all COVID 19 positive patients at the ICU are intubated, some are walkie talkie. We started reusing our N95, papr hoods, and even our simple mask.
June and July– We had a sudden increase in the number of COVID 19 positive patients. The ratio turned to 1:2. 0ne (1) for the attending nurse and two (2) for the patients. COVID 19 positive were paired with the same health condition. Patients with NMBA were also paired depending on their acuity. Huddles , skills day and other staff meetings were cancelled to observe strictly social distancing.
August 2020 – The hospital administration started to test all nurses for COVID 19 due to our unit. Thank God it’s all resulted in negative. Two(2) break nurses were provided for each COVID 19 units. The extension of the ICU to TELE unit was made. Floating some ICU nurses to TELE “ ICU “ floors were made possible to take care of the COVID 19 patients. Nurses were provided with new papr hoods and machines. Overtime and shifts were overflowing.
Propofol Forever!, Lol.
September 2020- I guess after how many months of attending to COVID 19 positive patients, we were all adjusted to the NEW NORMAL. We get used to taking care of COVID 19 positive patients just like a regular patient. Intubation, proning, code blues are now part of our daily life as an ICU nurse. They tried to do rotations of tasks for nurses but we don’t mind it at all as we were get to used to it. We offer video calling for the families to see their loved ones on the camera as we limit visitors for coming in and out of the unit. We have our own papr hoods now and are responsible for our own PPE’s. Some utilized their lockers to keep their PPE’s but I keep mine outside my locker.
On a lighter side of life, my family and I went to Santa Cruz, California to enjoy the beach. Boardwalk is still close. We didn’t go out of our hotel room to eat, we enjoyed eating inside our room for our breakfast and dinner then the rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the beauty of the sunrise and the sand taking photos and videos. This made my day with my family spending the moments together.
