With all the medical appointments I have had over the past two years, I want to take a moment to do a shout-out to healthcare workers, in Nashville and across the country (across the world, really). I can’t say enough about the medical staff we came in contact with during my pregnancy, at the hospital where I delivered, and during our stay in the NICU (more on our NICU stay later).
All our midwives, nurses, and doctors were phenomenal. Even with medical-grade masks (which work very well–just ask Mr. Handsome), our healthcare workers still had to be “up close and personal” with us, making it impossible to completely eliminate germ exposure. Yet, they showed self-sacrifice by serving us with joy and kindness.
And a special shout-out to my favorite healthcare worker of all, my husband. Being a health care worker is a wonderful calling!
Eileen
Yes, I agree. Healthcare workers are unsung heroes.
Emily
You are so right- it absolutely is a calling! I am currently a student nurse, as well as a nursing intern in an ICU, and I have ALWAYS felt that God summoned me to the profession. He truly does have a path for all of us, and I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to be able to serve others while doing what God called me to do. It is an honor and a privilege to walk along side of people in both their best and worst moments.
On a side note: if you’d be comfortable sharing, I’d love to know what your husband does! I love hearing about other people’s stories in healthcare!
Ellie
That’s wonderful, Emily! It sounds like you are truly dedicated to your profession. What field of nursing do you hope to work in when you are finished school?
My husband is a dentist. He also enjoys the service aspect, like you mentioned. And he’s not very fond of computers, which makes it a good fit, LOL. He also likes the aesthetic aspect because he is a hobbyist artist.
Emily
Thank you, Ellie! It’s awesome that your husband has found a passion in which he can use his many talents! I personally have a huge fear of the dentist, but from what I have seen in your Q and A videos, it looks like Mr. Handsome is very calm and would be great at soothing patient’s nerves. To answer your question, there are 3 routes I am considering: staying in the ICU at my current hospital, transferring to the ER in my current hospital, or applying for an ER internship for new nurses at the university hospital. I would love to do the last option, because that means level 1 trauma and high patient acuity. But I do have plans to fall back on if it doesn’t work out 🙂 My end goal is to be a trauma certified nurse, but I have lots of time!
Ellie
Many people are afraid of the dentist, so you’re not alone. LOL. But yes, Mr. H has a very calming personality, and I think it’s a great comfort to his patients. 🙂
That’s so wonderful that you want to be a trauma nurse. A very needed profession but not something that everyone is cut out for (I know I’m not) or desires to be.
Anne
Yes 100%!! Thank you for posting this. My neighbor worked as hospitality in the local hospital cleaning the covid rooms. I’m also indebted to great healthcare workers who got me through pregnancy and delivery during the pandemic.
Anonymous
While healthcare workers deserve praise for persevering on the job during difficult times, they are not perfect. Our dentist’s office had to close in January after one of the workers went maskless at an indoor sports event, became infected, then worked until they tested positive. By that time, others in the office started feeling symptoms too, so they closed for awhile. Same story at our eye doctor. Appointments were canceled in January because multiple staff members were out sick. There’s no guarantee that the person on the other side of that medical-grade mask (not an N95?) is free of infection already when they are “up close and personal.” They or their family members could have done something outside of work to put everyone at risk. Your own family has traveled and gathered multiple times in the last 2 years, as you have blogged and alluded to. Each time, you chose to take a risk knowing your husband would be around patients later. Some healthcare workers went to extremes to avoid transmission at the beginning of the pandemic (living by themselves in RVs, living in rented apartments away from family), then dropped those measures and went back to life as usual once the vaccines came out. But as you know, transmission continues, vaccines or not. There’s a lot riding on that mask your healthcare worker is wearing, a mask which is probably loose around the edges and removed to eat, drink, and change out. So the only part of your post I can wholly agree with is how healthcare workers have hard jobs, as always. Unfortunately, they have done things outside of work to become infected and have infected others without intending to, so there’s nothing exemplary about their profession in that regard – they are human too.
Anonymous
Anonymous 4:07: Maybe we should just stop going the doctor and dentist? Also school, church and work? Triple mask, perhaps? Way too much to be fearful of! I hope you are able to able to address your own debilitating fears and live in (and pass on) peace.
Anonymous
Agree 7:47. I do wear a mask in public, but it’s nothing but paranoia for people to be alone in a car wearing a mask. My new pet peeve.
Anonymous
I think most people who wear masks in their cars just forgot to take them off after wearing it all day and getting used to it lol. I’ve done it a time or two in the past and I’m far from paranoid haha.
Paula
Looking forward to your birth story part 5 when you have time!l
Anonymous
Get your vaccine, wear your mask, and let us healthcare workers do our jobs. We do what we can. Most of the time we get sick BECAUSE we took care of COVID patients that wouldn’t have survived without us. Yeah, we were up close and personal with COVID (in PPE)- Taking care of YOUR friends and family making sure that they can breath, that they get the medication they need, that we draw the labs we need to know if your loved one’s body is fighting the infection the way it should. Sincerely, an ICU intern who wishes you would think before you post.
Anonymous
Yes workers got sick from caring for others but as 4:07 said, they also had lives outside of work and some got sick that way too. My doctor friend and his wife got it from family members at Christmas! They were triple vaccinated and didn’t have it bad, but man, you let your guard down for a minute at the height of this and wham.
Anonymous
I love health care workers. I like it when they ask you ” would you like a warm blanket?❤
Anon
Me too. I love a heated blanket.
Beth
Ellie: I agree with you said about Healthcare workers. I was lucky I never got sick after I had surgery in February 2021. All the doctors and nurses wear masks and kept me safe so I would get sick. Specially during surgery since I couldn’t have a mask on.