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Answering the Call - May 2020 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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"We're checking and rechecking physicians' orders that are based on patients' constantly changing conditions," says Ms. Cory. "It's a lot to keep up with." ICU nurses, who are typically responsible for one patient at a time, are forced to balance the care of three COVID-19 patients. Ms. Cory teams up with an ICU nurse to lessen the burden. "I have a responsibility as a nurse to do whatever I can do to help," says Ms. Cory. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I stayed home. The ICU nurses … it's just so much work for them. It boosts their morale when we tell them, 'I'm here with you. I'm here to help.'" Teamwork is essential in the OR, a factor Ms. Cory believes pre- pared her for new role as nurse assistant. She received very little training in critical care nursing, but pitches in by emptying Foley catheters, retrieving medications, measuring blood sugar levels, administering insulin, repositioning patients, performing basic mouth care and assessing patients for pressure injuries. "We have to do what's needed to make these patients better," says Ms. Cory matter-of-factly. "The number of patients we're caring for is unbelievable. It's difficult for us all — doctors, nurses. Everyone is worn out. It's not easy, but we're getting by." The 12-hour shifts she endures are grueling. The constant fear of contracting COVID-19 is draining. "I think about it every day," says Ms. Cory. "It's on everyone's mind. No one wants to get sick. No one wants to bring it home." Andrea Dyer, MSN, RN, is a traveling nurse who was working at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston when the outbreak hit. She volunteered to work in the hospital's ER and swab patients in the COVID-19 testing tent. "It was the right thing to do, and I had some floor experience, so I thought I was the right person for the job," says Ms. Dyer. "Turns out I was very underprepared for working in the ER." 3 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A Y 2 0 2 0

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