Editor's note: This is the second article in a series called The Front Line. Each Wednesday, we will turn the spotlight on those who, despite risks associated with the global pandemic, continue to work on the front line in various capacities. Today we feature an ER nurse at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital.
In nine years of working in the emergency department at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, Jackelyn Young has never seen anything like she has during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“And I never want to see it again,” said the registered nurse.
For Young and many others on the front line, one of the greatest challenges is “the mental stress of not knowing what to expect.”
“It’s the constant worry and wonder of the unknown,” she said.
Working in the ER can be stressful on a regular day. Now, even though there are fewer people coming to the hospital during the pandemic, it’s a new kind of stress.
“I don’t know at the end of the day if I was exposed to anyone who was (COVID-19) positive. It’s the unknown of what you’re taking home,” said Young, a married mother of two kids, ages two and four. “If I could just put myself at risk instead of my whole family, that would be less stressful.”
She and others at the hospital have been taking steps to prevent the potential of passing the virus on to their families. When Young gets home, she removes whatever she brought home with her from work, showers and does the laundry.
Then, she tries to wind down.
“That was the hardest part for me for, probably, the first six weeks,” she said, noting her “constant worrying” got in the way of her usual desire to read or to make crafts. “I’ve been able to wind down more and relax, but there’s still the worry about a second wave.”
Hometime also means a break from the irritating but necessary personal protective equipment, including masks, the straps of which leave her ears sore.
“Having that on for a 12-hour period is a new, added stress, and it’s uncomfortable,” she said.
Before the pandemic, Young would take her regular scrubs to work. Now the hospital provides them to her when she arrives. She is screened upon entry and provided a mask.
It’s a change in routine — as much as working in an ER can be routine — but it’s not the only noticeable difference. There are fewer people coming into the hospital.
“When it first started, it definitely did feel odd and it was the new normal of not having as many patients,” Young said.
Fewer patients means health-care workers have more time to focus on e-learning and preparing for the worst. The hospital has used that time to hold “mock codes” — a code blue, for example, which can indicate cardiac arrest or another medical emergency.
“In the downtime, it’s also about supporting our co-workers. We all have our emotional spirals that we’re going through,” Young said.
She and her colleagues are there for each other, and they recognize the community is there for them, too. One way that appreciation is being shown is with rocks that have been painted or adorned with positive messages for hospital workers, on display outside.
“It’s been amazing for us to see the support from the community,” she said.
If anything positive can come of the pandemic, it will be the learning opportunity. Young doesn’t expect anything to be business as usual after the pandemic has passed.
“I think there will be a new normal and I think it will be a good thing,” she said. “This was a good wake-up call for us to look at how we can improve things.”
