Each time I start a new travel nurse assignment, I usually have the similar thoughts and anxieties running through my mind before my first day… What’s it going to be like? Are the people nice? What IV pumps do they even use? Coming to NYC however, since it is a crisis, I had a lot more of the questions, but left unanswered. What will the nurse to patient ratio be? Is there enough PPE? Are med surg floors really ICU’s? I went in completely blindly, not really knowing what it would be like and so far, I am really glad that I did.
*Before we begin, this article is solely based on my personal experience so far. I am unable to speak for other hospitals, departments or nurses.*
Prior to my arrival, watching the news and seeing various facebook posts from NYC nurses made it seem as if I were going to work in a complete war zone. Luckily, from what I’ve experienced in my 3 shifts so far, it has not been like that. (It had been a war zone in the prior weeks) Overall, the hospital admissions are slowing and the city seems to be heading downward on the curve. Social distancing really is helping!
Each day, all of the travel nurses show up to a nursing office to get our assignment for where we will be working that day. So far, I’ve spent all 3 shifts on a transplant step down unit but currently it is all Covid patients. It is nice to get acclimated to one unit, get to know where things are and get to know some of the people.
From what most of the staff nurses where saying, the entire hospital has been Covid and there are only 1 or 2 units that are kept “clean” or for non-Covid patients. I can’t speak for the entire hospital, but I’ve seen more positive than negative so far. Each time a patient is discharged from the hospital, they play the upbeat song “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas. And they don’t just play it, they blast the song over the intercom.
I don’t have a lot of exciting stories to share as of yet since I’m only 3 shifts in. But overall, the people seem nice and glad to have travel nurses there to help. The staff nurses have had a really rough last few weeks, many of them suffering burnout, so having some extra help around is a big relief for them. So for me, if having to wear an n95 mask for all 12 hours is the worst thing I’ve had to do so far, I’d say I’ve been pretty lucky. However, I am mentally prepared for worse days to come.
I haven’t worked in the ICU here, but I know that the patients are a lot more sick and the chances of them coming off of the ventilator are fairly low. Where I’ve worked, it is nice to see many positive things that have not been shared so much on the news and social media. People are surviving and getting to go home. I hope that I can continue to share positive experiences as my time here goes on.
Besides work, my living situation in NYC has been great. I live in a nice townhome with 5 other travel nurses from all over the US. They are all really cool people and I am glad that I can have a little support group to come home to each night/ and Uber to/from work with.
Off days are spent exploring, if the sun is out! Central Park so far has been my favorite place to go. I’ve developed a new appreciation for fresh air, after spending the majority of my time wearing a mask. The sun, everything in bloom and blue skies seem to take all the worries away.
Over the past month, this city has seen some of it’s darkest days in history. Seeing the sun shine bright and the city in bloom gives a feeling of hope that things are soon heading in the right direction.
Thank you for continuing to follow along. I hope that things continue to improve here and wherever you are. It will take time and it will take patience. May you find peace in whatever unanswered questions that you may have. Take care and stay well.
The Aud Blog 