Hey everyone!

I hope everyone is staying safe out there. I thought I’d gave a life update and tell you how I’m feeling with working with COVID19.

Back in February, I was in LA at Kaiser when COVID started. We thought nothing of it. We were told it’s like the flu and unless you traveled outside the country, you probably won’t get it. Fast forward to the beginning of March, I started in Riverside. They weren’t allowing us to wear masks around patients because it “gave the impression that something is wrong.” I ended up getting canceled from that assignment due to coming in to work sick and using a mask. I was kinda upset about the whole thing, but God had other plans for me. Right when I got canceled the crisis contracts were starting. I started talking to Cross Country and they had the exclusive at a hospital in the bay for big money. My friends say I fell uphill on this one after I got the crisis contract.

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I’m currently at Zuckerberg San Francisco General in the bay. It’s a level 1 community hospital. I’ve been there for 2 weeks now. The staff is very nice and welcoming. I started with 12 other travelers in the ER with 5 starting after me. The hospital has enough PPE, for now. We get 1 N95 per shift. We are running low on gowns and are asked to reuse them for the same patient unless it is soiled. The ER isn’t as busy as normal, but the acuity is higher. The census is actually low. Part of the reason is San Franciso was the first city to have shelter-in-place. This is my first time working with Covid19 patients. It’s honestly a lot to handle at times. Every night I come home exhausted. Putting on and off all the PPE gets exhausting. Every time I go into a patient’s room I wonder is this the time I’ll catch it. I wonder if I get sick or if taking care of this patient will kill me. It’s a lot to handle emotionally. The more I work and learn about this virus the more it somewhat puts me at ease.

After work each night I change in the garage, which is not connected to the main house. Then go into the house and take a shower. I’m thankful to have my friend Michelle on this assignment with me. She started a week after me and is my roommate. It nice to have someone to vent to.  We’re renting a cute house near the hospital. The landlord, Anthony also lives with us and is around our age. And yes, Cooper is with me and is in love with my roommates.

I’m gonna try to keep myself sane through all this by writing more. I’ll have more updates in the coming works about my time in LA and the random things I’m allowed to do in San Francisco while I’m here. Thanks for reading and stay safe y’all!

Until next time,

xoxo

@nurse_who_travels