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Night In The Life Of A Long Term Care Nurse

A story of early pandemic times

By Lavender Rose SkyPublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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This story was written in March 2020





5:30 PM: My alarm goes off. I set it a little early because waking up for me is apparently a process. I grab a cup of tea and read the news on my phone. My husband is usually home by now and we comment on how many cases our state has confirmed. I double check the schedule app for work in case any changes have been made.

6:00 PM: I get ready for work. I’m not one of those high maintenance nurses that wear full face makeup and fancy hair to work. It will not survive twelve hours, trust me!

6:30 PM: I kiss my husband goodbye and head out the door. My dog follows me so I have to make sure she doesn’t get out. On my drive to work, I pray for a good night. I hope no one falls and I hope everyone comes to work. I try to keep the thought out of my mind but I hope none of the residents have been diagnosed. When my state started to see cases, our administrator immediately put precautions in place. No visitors, staff and contractors only, temperature before entering the building. This is pretty much uniform procedure for nursing homes now.

7:00PM–10:00PM: I greet the temperature taker and check in. I then get report from the day shift. On a standard day there’s not much to report. The building seems empty because the residents are staying in their rooms. I don’t use the word “quarantine” at work because it scares the residents. Many of them are aware of what is going on right now. No one is happy with the “no visitors” policy but it is for the best. I begin a two hour med pass to roughly 18 people. Each resident has something to tell me. It might be something they want me to tell the doctor, what they want to have for a snack, that they need a pain pill, or to tell me how they spent the day. One woman tells me what she saw in the grocery store parking lot next door. “People are coming out with two cartfuls sometimes!”. She tells me that she saw another one with “nothing but toilet paper”. Some of them ask if I think it could come here. I reassure them that we are taking extra precautions to keep everyone safe. I am responsible for taking all of their temperatures. It doesn’t take long if you consider how valuable it is to prevent the spread of the virus. I finish my rounds and make notes for charting later.

10:15PM: I am allowed two twenty minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch. I catch up on the news and text my husband. Our state has not yet started a shelter in place order but many think it is coming.

10:35PM: I come back and do another round. This time just to do treatments. For non-nurses this is bandage changes and other special skin care. I check to see if there are appointments for the next day that have not been cancelled. Most non essential appointments are cancelled. At this point the day shift nurses just keep in touch with the doctor offices to see when we can reschedule. I like to stock the nursing carts early so I get started. I make sure there are plenty of water and medicine cups. Plastic spoons and straws are refilled (yes, I know straws are bad but we don’t use that many). I check the supply of over the counter meds that we administer. In the stock room I make a mental note of PPE that is available. We used to have boxes that remained unused for months. Usually we just use vinyl gloves. Now we have gowns, masks and shoe covers. We are using them sparingly for the time being.

11:00PM: I get second report for the other half of my hall. I am now responsible for 35 residents. I begin my midnight med pass. Mostly just scheduled pain pills. I settle in for the night with another mug of tea. I chart on a few things from earlier and fill out the assignments for the nursing assistants. Just the weights we need for the morning and who needs to get up early. I check the labs on the computer and print out the requisition sheets for the lab technician. I make sure any new orders from the doctor are correctly in the computer and put away in the chart. All these little chores take me about two hours to do.

1:30AM: I make myself take a lunch. I am fortunate to get a lunch knowing that many nurses do not always get theirs. I catch up on emails and have a little snack. I have learned that if I eat a heavy meal at night I start to feel sleepy. Just a small sandwich or soup with fruit will get me through the night.

2:00AM: I am now in the longest part of the night. I usually have a few pain pill requests to attend to. I choose this time to bleach wipe the counters and nurse carts. I put applesauce in the fridge so it is cold for the morning med pass. I refill the diabetic testing supplies and check the glucometers. I make sure to locate the morning meds (sometimes things get moved around on the carts). I fax the pharmacy with any orders we need filled. I help answer call lights if they become numerous.

4:00AM: I take my last break. Another mug of tea to wake me up. I sit at the nurses station and gear up for the last med pass for the night. I run through a mental checklist of everything I need to do or should do before I get started.

5:00–6:45AM: I pass morning meds. This is usually medication that are taken on an empty stomach, otherwise the residents could sleep in a little. I take the fasting blood sugars and get a few blood pressure checks done. Many residents are getting up now. They ask if they can come out of the rooms today, if they will be allowed visitors now, if I heard what the President and the Govonor said last night. I answer their questions honestly. I reassure them again that their safety is the top priority. We will be much better off when this is over. I really do feel bad that they can’t have visitors. It breaks my heart to overhear some of their phone conversations as I walk the halls. They miss their families so much. We are their only contact with the outside world right now. We have to give them our best because that is what they count on right now. We need to be strong and healthy for them as much as we need to for ourselves. I’m telling you, these nursing home residents are relying more on the staff now than ever. Whereas before we were just the caregiving staff, we are now all a little family. They look to us now for security and hope during this frightening time. We have to provide this as much as possible, even if we are panicking inside. Please, keep a brave face at the bedside. Our seniors need it.

7:00AM: I report off to the two morning nurses. I get in my car and drive home. I leave my shoes in a bucket by the door of my house, shower and text my husband who is now at work. I go to sleep glad that I had a good night. I pray for my fellow nurse colleagues around the country today. After all, we are in this together.

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Lavender Rose Sky

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