As the COVID-19 pandemic intensified, Mount Saint Mary College Nursing students fought back on the frontlines.
Briana Irwin, a full-time medical-surgical nursing assistant at Saint Anthony’s Community Hospital in Warwick, N.Y., is one of many Mount Nursing students, faculty, and alumni who have been caring for COVID-19 patients.
“Never did I consider that I would be working on the frontlines of a pandemic,” Irwin explained. “We need to be extremely mindful of every single move we make when caring for those with COVID-19, not only to ensure our safety, but to ensure the safety of all of our patients, our community, and our colleagues.”
Shannon Christiano was president of the Mount’s Student Nurses’ Association before she graduated in May 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she was working in the emergency room at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, N.Y. as a nursing assistant. With policies changing nearly every day and the number of COVID-19 patients rising, “The most difficult thing [was] trying to treat very sick patients while also keeping their anxiety and stress at a manageable level,” explained Christiano.
Jovanna Cruz, a May 2020 graduate, was employed at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan as a float patient care associate when the pandemic was declared. She said that working triage in the emergency room “opened my eyes to the severity and magnitude of the pandemic. You start to think, ‘Do we have enough beds and staff to tend to everyone?’”
The nurses agreed that their training at the Mount helped to prepare them for the challenges of COVID-19. Christiano noted that her classes enhanced her critical thinking and time management skills. Irwin added that their Nursing professors “provided us with up-to-date information and have been working diligently to educate the community about what is going on in our world right now. As difficult as these times may be, the Mount has gone above and beyond.”
Working on the healthcare frontlines during the pandemic has helped to mold the students into even stronger nurses, explained Diana Gomez, a 2020 Mount Nursing grad. As the situation escalated in New York State, Gomez was working at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. as a patient care tech, a position she still holds today.
“This pandemic has really taught me how to be an advocate for my patients and has taught me a great deal of compassion, patience, and hope,” she said. “These qualities are some of the most crucial to possess to be a better nurse.”
These unprecedented times have also helped the students learn to work better as a team with their fellow healthcare professionals. “I feel that we will all come out of this stronger than ever,” Christiano said. “This situation is forcing everyone in healthcare to be flexible and open to learning new things.”
Even though dealing with COVID-19 has been difficult – and continues to be a challenge to this day – the experience has served to strengthen the resolve of these young nurses.
“Working on the frontlines of a pandemic has confirmed what I have always thought: that I know this is exactly what I was put on this Earth to do,” said Irwin.
Cruz agreed. “I honestly love what I do and would not change it,” she said. “I chose this line of work for a reason and I want to continue to help others as much as I can.”