Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1307977
26 Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com November 9–December 14, 2020 Adam Fronczek, RN, DNP, ANP-BC RESOURCE TEAM DIRECTOR UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica and Los Angeles Looking back on this year, what have been the biggest changes in your practice? The Resource Team, also known as the float team, fills inpatient staffing shortages at both Santa Monica and Reagan hospitals. During the pandemic, we've been espe- cially busy ensuring adequate staffing in the health system. Our team's intensive care nurses have been providing additional support for the medical intensive care unit (MICU) taking care of COVID-19 patients, giving the MICU nurses a reprieve from their daily workload. We have also had to com- pletely transform the way we conduct meetings and daily communications. We now hold unit practice council and monthly staff meetings through Zoom. Now that staff no longer have to commute to work for only a one- or two- hour meeting, we've actually seen an increase in attendance and participation. Tell us about the most inspirational thing you've experienced as a nurse during this pandemic. I am amazed by the over- whelming support and daily encouragement my partner and I receive from our neigh- bors in West Los Angeles when we leave and come home from work. They rou- tinely ask questions and look to us for guidance on how to negotiate these uncertain times. I am inspired by the support from our community. What nonmedical support from family, friends or the general public has been most appreciated? The support and gratitude from the community has been overwhelming and reminds me why I became a nurse. How have you grown as a nurse since you started working in this profession? One of my favorite things about nursing is the different roles I have had the opportuni- ty to play: bedside nurse on a transplant unit, home health nurse, intensive care, float pool nurse, nurse practitioner, nursing supervisor and now systems director. I still learn new things every day. Delsean Hart, RN, B.S. FIELD NURSE, MEDICAL-SURGICAL, ORTHOPEDICS AND HOME HEALTH Adventist Health Simi Valley Looking back on this year, what have been the biggest changes in your practice? In order to manage surges and increase bed capacity at the hospital, we needed to more expand virtual and tele- health technology. I've been helping to implement Hospital@Home, a new telehealth program in partner- ship with Medically Home that provides hospital-level care to lower-acuity med-surg patients from the comfort of their bedrooms. It has been a massive undertaking, but one we know has made a difference. Tell us about the most inspirational thing you've experienced as a nurse during this pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, my fellow nurses and other hospital staff worked countless hours of overtime to care for our first COVID-19 patient. The compassion and care I've witnessed has been an inspiration. There is one story that moved me most: A young nurse and mother of a toddler lost her husband during the pan- demic, but she told me that despite that tragedy, she still loves being a RN. I could not help but be inspired. What nonmedical support from family, friends or the general public has been most appreciated? I am grateful for all signs of appreciation, but what I am most thankful for is donated food. The way to this nurse's heart is through his belly! Restaurants and small businesses have been hit hard financially, so for them to generously provide us with food means a lot. How have you grown as a nurse since you started working in this profession? I graduated in 1999 with hopes of pursuing a healthcare career, but I became a single dad, so I obtained a job in sales to provide financial stability for my family. However, I wanted to show my sons that they should follow their dreams, so after 15 years, I went back to school. As a newer nurse in a pandemic, I've had to grow up quickly, ditch the novice anxiety and get to work healing my patients.