HUMAN TOUCH Recent USF grads launch nursing careers during challenging times as they deal with COVID-19 patients and their own empathy for the families who can’t always be at patients’ sides.
As young nurses beginning their careers, recent University of Saint Francis graduates are grateful to learn so much during the COVID-19 pandemic. But their newfound knowledge has been accompanied by stress, worry, fatigue and—in a positive reflection of their USF education—empathy. “Some days are harder than others, but I’ve been a part of things that I never would have otherwise been a part of,” said Madi Schwartz, a December 2019 graduate who works in the Parkview Medical ICU. “I’ve had to learn a lot of things and that’s been good for me. I’ve also seen some Godly things happen, just very sick people you think aren’t going to make it who do.” Schwartz is among many recent USF alumni who have been thrown into one of the most challenging and unpredictable medical situations in decades. The pandemic has been a challenge even to experienced nurses who would otherwise be imparting insight to their younger, less-experienced colleagues. Jordyn Trump, another December 2019 graduate who works in the Surgical Trauma ICU at Parkview, acknowledges being nervous at first about dealing with patients who have the virus. “When you have a COVID-19 patient, you see some things that you’ve never seen before,” Trump said. “Doctors have never seen it. Nurses have never seen it. I’m learning alongside them as a brand-new nurse. Usually, I’d be learning from them, but now I’m right alongside them with the pandemic.” While Fort Wayne hospitals haven’t been overwhelmed with cases, there have been a steady number of patients who have 20
saint francis magazine | fall 2020
contracted the virus and need medical care. Allie Solaro, who graduated from USF in December 2018, works in the COVID-19 unit at Lutheran Hospital. There have been times when the unit was almost full, she said. The uncertainty of how long the virus will remain a serious problem adds some tension on the job. “When we were very full, it was very busy and it was overwhelming to go to work,” Solaro said. “We were just like, ‘How long is this going to last? We can’t wait to get back to normal.’ But I have a friend who works at the health department and this isn’t going away. We’re still dealing with it.” One of the toughest parts of being in the COVID-19 unit is the limited one-on-one contact with patients, Solaro said. Nurses must limit the number of times they enter a room because of the personal protective equipment (PPE) required. “We all feel like bad nurses sometimes because we don’t go in as often to assess patients in order to limit exposure,” Solaro said. “It’s hard because sometimes we’re their only human contact.” Heather Walters, a December 2019 graduate who works in the Parkview Medical ICU, says the early days of dealing with the pandemic were the toughest. “Being a new nurse and being in the ICU, I was already stressed from that,” Walters said. “I was way overwhelmed with this, wanting to cry because I didn’t think I was doing enough. But I saw nurses with 20-plus years also crying so it was scary for everyone.” Photo by Tim Brumbeloe
