“Remember, You’ve never dealt with a global pandemic before. You’re doing amazing, and on your first try, too!”
anonymous
I started my job with Healthcare as a Float in November 2019. Four months before a Global Pandemic. I never thought healthcare was for me, but when I started, I fell in love with my job immediately. It was perfect for someone who constantly loves to help people in any possible way. I felt so appreciated and like I was truly making a difference.
Late February, COVID-19 became a thing and made 2020 a major obstacle. My fiance and I were preparing for our trip to Las Vegas to see Bruno Mars in concert. We got notifications to cancel our trip by the airline and hotel. We decided to go anyway. I remember telling people “if I am going to catch COVID, I will need to see Bruno Mars in concert first.” We took the trip, had the time of our lives, and didn’t catch COVID. Looking back, I was being so ignorant.
Late March/early April I got put on furlough from my job. I was out for a full 3 months. In those 3 months; we got engaged, i totaled my vehicle in a nasty car accident that I was lucky to walk away from, we moved into a new apartment, and we spent SO much time up at the Cabin. It was a blessing in disguise to spend that much time with my new fiance. But I was ready to go back to work…..
June 29th, 2020 was my first day back to work. It was a complete whirlwind. Everything was different. The protocols, the mask mandate, even the people. Nothing was the same, not even a little bit. I felt as if I was in a whole new world. I wasn’t a receptionist anymore either. I was put into a whole new position. I was what we call “a door screener.” At this point, we weren’t seeing patients with COVID symptoms. We screened people for COVID symptoms and if they were flagged with any, they were sent to one of our respiratory sites to be seen. We also kept track of visitors as we wanted to limit the amount of traffic throughout our clinic. I was a door screener for a couple months. I was then sent off to assist on the front lines.
I was helping with Drive-Up Testing. This was the craziest thing I have ever done in my life! I would assist the nurse during the swabbing. Everything had to be perfect. From protocol to PPE. It was 96 degrees in the end of Summer. Clothes, full length gown, 2 masks, face shields, rubber gloves, and a hair covering. A car would drive up, we took their ID to confirm their identity and birth date. We grabbed their kit and confirmed their birth date again. We handed off the procedure paper for COVID and home care for a pending test. They were then swabbed by a Registered Nurse and sent on their way to quarantine. It was humbling experience and such a blessing to work beside these super humans we refer to as nurses.
In September, I accepted a position in Urgent Care as a receptionist instead of working as a float. It gave me stability and gave me a peace of mind. That month, we transformed the clinics and urgent cares to full respiratory sites which meant we would see all patients, no matter their symptoms. The beginning was stressful, unknown, and very different. Even though it was back to “normal” patient wise, nothing was normal. We had sick patients all over the place. All kinds of different illnesses; especially COVID-19 patients. The rise in cases was terrifying. All ages, races, walks of life. We saw and treated everyone to the best of our ability in such an uncertain time. As a receptionist, we have a certain standard to live up to. We are the face of this clinic. We don’t get to have bad days. We smile and help, no matter what. Some of us are here for 10+ hours a day.
We work hard, we communicate, and we strive to make this the best place to be.
That all being said, be kind and say thank you. We didn’t sign up to work in the middle of a Pandemic. We didn’t ask for this. Even though we are here to help, we don’t need the attitude or snide remarks. We are just doing our job. So when we ask you to make sure your mask is pulled up, please just do it. As healthcare workers, we 100% understand that you’re frustrated with how things are being handled, you don’t feel well and this year has just been crappy as it is. We are all of the above as well. We hear you. We see you. We don’t make the rules, we just help enforce them.
November 9th, 2020 my fiance and I both tested positive for COVID-19. No, the irony is not lost on me. We were then quarantined for a full 14 days. Food was being delivered by Target, Shipt and my mom. Facetime became our lifeline. We weren’t able to see or hug our families and that was the most difficult part of the whole thing. My fiance had a cough and lost his taste and smell. I had a very mild cough, shortness of breath and lost my taste/smell. Although we could’ve had worse symptoms, it still sucked. We were out of work, again. Our symptoms lasted the full 14 days as well. They got better and we don’t have any symptoms lingering (very grateful for that!). We played games and watched a lot of TV. We kept ourselves busy and made it through together.
We got lucky. It’s not that easy for everyone. So many lives have been lost and it’s not a hoax. It’s very much real. We see it every single day. Healthcare workers look this virus in the face. We have seen death and we have seen recovery. It pulls on the heart strings because there is so much uncertainty and all we can do is take it one day at a time. Every day is different which has been a blessing and a curse. We aren’t sure on how long this will last, so please have patience. With yourself and others.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting a battle that you know nothing about.
The Mind of Malayna 