Nurse Angie Gicewicz points to a rotoprone bed that allows COVID patients to lay face down, which is sometimes useful when damaged lungs are having trouble oxygenating blood.
After the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Tennessee in March 2020, nurses were often lauded as healthcare heroes. Two years later, nurses are not only feeling the weight of the pandemic, they are also dealing with staffing shortages, patients who refuse to get vaccinated, and the ongoing loss of human life. An increasing number of nurses are considering becoming travel nurses to make more money or leave the healthcare industry altogether for less stressful jobs.
Host Khalil Ekulona talks with three Middle Tennessee nurses about their experiences.
Guests:
- Dr. Alex Jahangir, chair of the Nashville COVID-19 task force
- Blake Farmer, WPLN News healthcare reporter
- Charlotte Garwood, ICU nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Chris Gray, certified emergency nurse and student at Lincoln Memorial University – Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Grace Vincente, registered nurse at Nashville General Hospital
Additional reading:
- WPLN: Two years in, 25,000 Tennesseans have died of COVID and hospitals are reporting widespread burnout
- WPLN: Mt. Juliet nurse shares difficult homecoming after COVID travel nursing
The lead producer on this episode was Tasha A.F. Lemley. Follow her on Instagram at tasha_is_nashville.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM