The halls were quiet. This first of two nights on shift was quiet. The second night a bit quieter. Now, don’t me wrong. Patients are there, the patient noise level is still there, but there is something almost eery about walking into work and feeling a different vibe in the air.
Day one, I walked up to the hospital and entered through the employee entrance which has a view of the lobby.
I looked around and only saw the staff. The elevator ride up was quicker and somber, both days. My mind has been racing about the future days to come, how many people will become sick with COVID-19, how many will die. I mentioned I worked in Surgical/Oncology and Trauma. What was going to happen to our compromised patients? The patients that needed surgery, car accident victims?
That all stopped when I got off the elevator and realized the silence was deafening.
The normal sounds, like IV’s beeping, staff talking, call lights going off and so on. What I noticed was the lack of talking buzz. You know that sound when lots of people are talking at the same time and it is almost like a hum. Gone. Patients know what is going on and they are scared, so we need to be there for them… Educate, educate and educate.
Visitor restrictions are in place and only a few exceptions are made for very few patients.
Photo by Allie Smith on Unsplash
Caring for my patients are my first priority but know, I wonder how we are going to cope with so much going on… we need to make sure that we keep ourselves physically and mentally well.
Many, many people depend on us.
Social distancing, even at work is going to be hard, but know that I have your back, so when you are reaching out for help, I will be there and I know you will be too.
The silence is a reminder of what this world is becoming… Let’s bring back the noise!
Don’t forget to wash your hands!
Yours truly,
Sheri