00:00It's a science when you, you know, when you're donning and doffing PPE, which means literally in layman's terms, when
00:08you're putting on protective equipment and when you're taking it off.
00:12My name is Erica and I'm a registered nurse in the state of Connecticut.
00:16A lot of our units have been transitioned over into COVID-19 units.
00:21As a nurse right now, your job is requiring you to do a little bit more than you normally would
00:26with a regular patient.
00:28There is a high risk of transmission and we're still trying to figure that out.
00:34We do something called clustering care, which means that when you go in the room, you are doing everything that
00:42you need to get done in that moment because they want you to reduce the amount of time that you
00:48come in contact with the patients.
00:51PPE stands for personal protective equipment.
00:53Some examples would be gloves, a face mask, a gown, face shield or goggles, booties, a bouffant.
01:03These are all forms of PPE.
01:05Apparently, this virus can live on surfaces for extended amounts of time.
01:10The purpose of the gown is to keep the virus from getting onto your personal body or clothes.
01:17Gloves are a universal precaution that you use.
01:20You know, you can't listen to lung sounds or do a full respiratory assessment without actually touching the patient.
01:28Anytime you believe that you're going to come in contact with body secretions, blood, open skin, you always wear gloves.
01:36An N95 mask has a built-in filter.
01:39Not only do they protect against droplets like sneezing and coughing, but they also protect against airborne viruses like tuberculosis
01:48or measles.
01:49It's different from a surgical mask.
01:51It's like a splash resistant, but it doesn't protect against small particles like viruses.
01:57The reason why it's such a shortage is because it's been drilled in our heads that these N95 masks are
02:03one-time use.
02:04Once you start disposing of it, you start to run into a shortage of it.
02:08And not only that, not just the public, it was certain professions require people to wear N95s.
02:16So when you have everyone running in saying like, I need this, I need this, I need this, everyone's buying
02:22it up.
02:22People start panicking.
02:23The public has access to it.
02:26There's nothing available left.
02:28The purpose of the shield is to protect the mucous membrane.
02:31So it protects the eyes, the nose, and the mouth, and it also protects the mask that we're using right
02:37now.
02:38I think that the CDC is recommending the general public use some sort of mask right now because we've seen
02:48how fast the virus has spread.
02:52We're just trying to take as many precautions as possible to slow the spread of it because it's a virus.
02:59It's going to move.
03:00There's not a way to stop it as of right now, but you can slow it down by taking a
03:06proper precautions, which is, you know, the six feet distance away from other people, you know, and wearing PPE out
03:16in public.
03:16In this journey and fighting this COVID-19 virus, you know, just being on the front line and putting yourself
03:26out there to help people.
03:28It has been very interesting because you are walking into a room petrified, and then you see this patient.
03:39They're more scared than you.
03:41You're worried about getting it.
03:43Well, they have it, and they don't know what to expect because they see what's happening around the world.
03:49They're in a room by themselves usually, and they're secluded from the world.
03:54And usually by the time they go home, they probably have to quarantine there as well.
03:59It puts a lot of things into perspective, and it makes you appreciate life a little bit more when you
04:04see what they're dealing with.
04:07And knowing that you're not even sure that you could be as strong as them if you were in their
04:11shoes.
04:11What gives me hope is watching them fight, and even though they are scared, even though they don't know what
04:21to expect, they still fight.
04:23They haven't made up in their mind that they are going to win this fight against, you know, the unknown.
04:29And it's admirable, I think, at this point, because the amount of patients who are coming into my facility now
04:36with COVID-19,
04:38they're actually increasing the ratio one to five.
04:41It's hard, but, you know, it's what you have to do.
04:45Patients need a nurse, and you've got to be there for them.
04:49Patients need a nurse, and you've got to be there for them.
