Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1307977
34 Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com November 9–December 14, 2020 Steven Soung, RN, BSN CLINICAL UNIT SUPERVISOR, MEDICAL- SURGICAL AND TELEMETRY UNIT Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, Los Angeles Looking back on this year, what have been the biggest changes in your practice? Social distancing, patient iso- lation and no-visitation poli- cies help to flatten the curve, but some of our patients have been isolated from their fami- lies for weeks or months, and their only human interactions are with healthcare workers in PPE. Lack of social interaction can affect one's mental stabili- ty, so whenever I interact with patients, I try to make it as meaningful as possible. Tell us about the most inspirational thing you've experienced as a nurse during this pandemic. The sacrifices I've witnessed are probably the most inspira- tional things I've experienced in my entire life. The hospital is like our second home; we sometime spend more time there then at home. Some of us haven't seen our families for a while. Some of my col- leagues are renting different places to stay and are isolating themselves from their families because they are afraid of bringing the virus home. However, this doesn't stop us from coming back to work. What nonmedical support from family, friends or the general public has been most appreciated? The tremendous amount of love, appreciation and support from our communities have been most appreciated. We are so grateful for every little thing. These gestures have helped motivate us to come back to work every day. I've never been so proud to be a nurse. How have you grown as a nurse since you started working in this profession? Working as a nurse has been bittersweet and yet one of the most rewarding journeys of my life. I have grown so much professionally over the past five years. From taking care of four or five patients to now super- vising the whole hospital wasn't an easy journey, but I am very satisfied with what I have accomplished so far. Claude Stang, RN, M.A., BSN, CEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles Looking back on this year, what have been the biggest changes in your practice? The past year has been one of the most challenging in my 26-year career, although I led a team through the SARS epidemic years ago, which gave me some preparation. Aside from the obvious practice changes, the nurse's role as patient advocate and educator has become more important than ever. Course-correcting with limited infor- mation and trusting our sources have become big chal- lenges; with political messaging interspersed with medical science, some of the public hasn't known where to turn. Tell us about the most inspirational thing you've experienced as a nurse during this pandemic. Early during the pandemic, we erected a mobile tent in front of the ED to accommodate potential COVID-19 patients. We introduced protocols and operational changes that could have been viewed as unconventional, but our nursing and medical teams donned their PPE and dove into the challenge. The positive energy from the staff who worked with our suspect COVID-19 patients early on was amazing and inspiring. What nonmedical support from family, friends or the general public has been most appreciated? Early in the pandemic, I got choked up hearing the clang- ing pots and pans and beeping horns in support of health- care workers. The community really did its part "filling the cups" of the many caregivers. The gifts of food, supplies and even homemade masks were sometimes more than we could handle. We will not forget this generosity. How have you grown as a nurse since you started working in this profession? There are few aspects of my life that have not been influ- enced by being a nurse. I have grown to understand that I can be a blessing in someone's life every day, no matter how small an act of kindness may seem.