The COVID-19 pandemic has brought change to all aspects of life. As a nurse working through the pandemic, I have had to remodel my approach to every professional responsibility I have. The most evident changes include adapting to numerous hospital protocols, constant personal protective equipment use, sanitation requirements, patient visitor limitations, and social distancing in the workplace. One aspect of my job that I did not anticipate changing as much as it did was the way we communicate. The pandemic has led me to appreciate the importance of verbal communication when delivering patient care, especially when caring for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing. I never realized the barrier masks impose on individuals that benefit from lip reading and through the pandemic, I acknowledged the hindrance it can have on patient care. Once this issue was identified on my unit, I began wearing masks with a transparent panel when necessary, so that my patients could physically see when I speak with them in order to make them more comfortable with communication. Additionally, the inability to have in-person language interpreters where I work has changed the way I communicate with patients who prefer a language other than English. Over the past year, I have incorporated online language interpreters more than I have ever before in order to facilitate my patients’ cultures within their care. My coworkers and I felt it was important now more than ever to learn basic phrases in languages we encounter most with our patient population, including Spanish, Somali, and American Sign Language, to ensure we were maintaining appropriate communication with our patients and their families. Utilizing technology has also helped resolve communication obstacles inflicted by the pandemic. Due to patient visitor limitations, I found myself incorporating video calls with my patients and their families that cannot be present during their hospitalizations. I’m grateful to have had these resources over the year in order to keep families involved in patient care. Adapting to the changes the pandemic has produced continues to be challenging, but they have also led me to incorporate more creativity in my patient care that I hope to continue beyond the pandemic.
Month: June 2021
Honor a Mentor – A Nurse Who Has Made an Impact in Your Life.
Having a nursing mentor is something that people had mentioned would help with the stress of being a new nurse, but I never really understood the impact a mentor could have until I became lucky enough to find one. My senior year of college, I was set up with Audra Hanners (pictured) as my advisor for my precepting rotation. I had never had night shift clinicals, and the schedule became difficult for me very quickly. Audra took the time to ask how I was adjusting and asked about my commitments outside of nursing school. She helped me to focus on making time for my wellness so that I could get through the semester without feeling burnt out. She checked in on me numerous times, making sure I had the opportunity to talk about things that were causing me stress while she was my advisor. After my preceptorship ended, Audra continued to be a resource for me.
When I was applying to nursing jobs for the first time, Audra helped me grow professionally. She talked me through the application process, looking over my resume and encouraging me to think through answers for potential interview questions. She would meet with me for coffee to talk about my plans for the future. When I was accepted for a position at OSU, she encouraged me to learn the most I could from my new job. I was nervous because I never saw myself as a med-surg nurse but having the support of Audra helped me to take on the challenge and grow from it. Even during the COVID lockdowns, she would Zoom call me to check in and make sure I was adjusting to my new role well. When I was overwhelmed with being a new nurse and decided not to continue with the BSN-DNP program, she completely supported me. That was a very tough decision to make, but I felt good about it after talking through things with her.
Audra has been a role model, friend, and mentor to me in a time when I needed her most. I hope that I can be a mentor to someone as she has been a mentor to me. Without her, I would not be the nurse I am today, and I am so grateful for her. Mentors truly are great resources to have, and I am very lucky that Audra is mine.