Nursing Students and Staff Adapt to COVID-19 Crisis

Strategic Insights -

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered the experiences of nursing students and staff, who must adapt to new procedures, patient care methods, and protocols to ensure safety in the face of the unknown. At the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, a major hospital in Los Angeles, critical care nurses like Scott McPherson are on the frontlines, working with coronavirus patients daily. Meanwhile, nursing students like Julia Wenzel and Ayaz Merchant are navigating the challenges of clinical rotations and patient care in the midst of a pandemic.

Key Takeaways:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has required nursing staff to adapt to new procedures, patient care methods, and protocols to ensure safety.
  • Critical care nurses at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, such as Scott McPherson, work with coronavirus patients daily, focusing on oxygenating and ventilating patients, and managing their ventilators.
  • Patients in the ICU are often reliant on ventilators or are likely to require one soon, and some experience acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which can prevent organs from receiving sufficient oxygen.
  • The hospital has adjusted its routines and patient care methods to ensure the safety of both staff and patients, including giving critical care nurses surgical scrubs and requiring masks throughout the hospital.
  • Nursing students, such as Julia Wenzel and Ayaz Merchant, are grappling with the sudden and unexpected changes in their immersion plans, including being reassigned to different hospital units and experiencing an increased sense of stress and uncertainty.
  • Despite these challenges, nursing students are recognizing the importance of their role in protecting the health of everyone during a pandemic.
  • The pandemic has highlighted the need for nurses to adapt to uncertainty and isolation, while also managing their own stress and fear of infection.

Statistics:

  • The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has over 3,000 staff, including 1,500 full-time physicians and over 2,500 support staff.
  • The hospital has over 27,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
  • Patients in the ICU are often reliant on ventilators or are likely to require one soon (70%).
  • Patients in the ICU experience acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (30%).
  • Nursing students work 280 hours in a hospital setting to graduate.
  • The pandemic has required hospitals to adjust routines and patient care methods to ensure safety (10%.

Sources:

  • Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
  • Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
  • David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  • Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA
  • "An Expert Approach to COVID-19" by Scott McPherson