BEHIND THE MASK Interviews with Coahoma Respiratory Care Program graduates working in the field during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why do you think respiratory care professionals are so needed at this time? COVID-19 is more so a respiratory disease. It affects the respiratory system, so it’s more so dealing with our scope of practice, so my industry is vital now because people are having to be treated with much-needed resources—ventilators, nasal high flow therapy, BiPAPs. So, growth in this profession is necessary at this point. What have some of your experiences been dealing with COVID-19 in the field? I’ve experienced a lot. Some people didn’t do too well with the virus; some have recovered. It could go both ways. It could be overwhelming sometimes dealing with the patient and seeing them fight their health issues. COVID-19 deaths have bothered me a little because those who passed from COVID-19 who were not able to have their loved ones by their side while on their death bed, they had to die alone. At this point, patients are not allowed to have visitors due to the coronavirus. Some of them are afraid, and they are confiding in us and giving us their last words to their relatives.
CHRIS BANKS ‘07 REGISTERED RESPIRATORY THERAPIST
How has the Respiratory Care Program prepared you for the age of COVID-19? The program gave me the in-depth education on the respiratory system, as well as all of the other systems that COVID-19 affects, that opened my eyes to the seriousness of COVID-19 when it first came out. I quickly realized the different ways it could be spread and who would more likely be at risk. Do these times present fears for you? I am surrounded by a health care team that positively focuses on taking care of patients and public safety. The respiratory therapists who I have become friends with over the years are fighting this virus head on with full confidence in their work. The RTs on the front line give me hope during these times, and not fear. We all have the same fundamental thinking: take care of the patients and help keep the community safe. I have faith in our health care workers. NIKKI STRIPLIN ‘12 REGISTERED RESPIRATORY THERAPIST
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ROAR Magazine
What have some of your experiences been dealing with COVID-19 in the field? I have seen firsthand some of the patients who come home from the hospital with COVID-19 and their needs that include home oxygen, ventilators, BiPAPs, and CPAPs. I have had to give education on patients who were once completely healthy who now have to deal with a body that has been ravaged by this virus and may not ever recover.
