Staying positive: Life of a COVID-19 nurse

CLOVIS - Airam Amaya's day at the General Medical COVID-19 Unit at the Clovis hospital usually starts with reading reports on patients and checking their vitals, emotional mind frame, and medications.

The nurse's days start the same, but with every bed in the unit usually filled, Amaya said the past month has entailed extra shifts for all of the nurses in her unit and days with little to no moments to pause other than a brief lunch break.

"This past month has hit us pretty hard and, now, we have a full ward with 21 to 25 patients on a daily basis on just the COVID unit itself," Amaya said. "It has helped that we've been getting help from other units, so we've been trying to do our best and be positive and be positive with our patients as well, so they can have a successful recovery. We have also had nurses coming from other states as well to help with all the patients."

Amaya said her unit's COVID-19 cases can range from people with mild symptoms, who recover within two or three days, to patients who have severe symptoms and take about 15 days to recover. She said a majority of the patients who have been sent to the intensive care unit have had other health problems combined with COVID-19. Curry County has seen 29 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began.

"I think in the beginning, we all had stress from what was going on, but it didn't hit us hard until this past month. It's a constant busy here all the time now," Amaya said. "The hospital has been really good; they send people from other units to help us out and to take care of our stations."

Amaya said nurses' days also entail speaking to family members of their patients throughout the day to give them updates and allowing them to see and speak to their family directly through the use of an iPad since visitors are not allowed in person.

"It's wonderful, especially when someone says, 'I want to see my wife' or 'I want to see my daughter,' and we just pull out that iPad," Amaya said.

How does one cope?

She said the nurses of her unit try to laugh a lot, and community members have shown a lot of support.

"We are not allowed to potluck with COVID, but we have had places (local restaurants) send food for us, and family members will send a tray of a treat to thank us for the care we provide to our patients," Amaya said. "It makes us feel like we are doing something right for them."

Amaya said there are times she goes home at the end of the day feeling weary, with patients' conditions on her mind.

"There are days I feel it, and I want to go home and climb in the recliner and just stay there," she said. "But then I think, why would I do that? Why would I take away from my time with my family when that's what brings me joy?"

Amaya said all in all, she loves what she does.

"I like to take care of my patients. I enjoy when they get better and can go back home to their families," she said. "On the other hand, with this pandemic, we are losing people, and that's not what I want for my patients. I want them to be able to continue with their lives and go home to their families."