Veronica Schulz
Occupation/Title: Patient Care Technician
Place of Work: St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Ann Arbor
WCC Degree in Progress: Associate Degree in Nursing
Anticipated Graduation: May 2021
How has your job changed?
I work as a patient care technician in the surgery department, where I administer blood work and IVs, bathe and help with ambulating (helping patients become mobile again). Patient care has been my focus. All surgeries have been cancelled. I have been exposed to a lot of different kinds of patients since mid-March, which includes patients with pending COVID-19 results. Med surg is my main floor, but if we have a low patient ratio I am sent to the ICU, where I work closely with suspected COVID-19 cases.
How has your life changed?
I think most of my anxiety and stress comes from nursing online. Nursing online came with its own learning curve. I was very comfortable with my position and the change was hard to adjust to. Nursing school from home wasn’t as difficult as expected due to support from my family. My staff has been very supportive of each other, which has been very helpful.
What is the hardest thing to deal with?
The hardest thing for me was seeing how sick these patients were with COVID-19. Seeing the severely ill was frightening; I am used to patients coming in for surgery, so this has been a very different experience for me.
One thing you wish the public knew about healthcare workers?
That we feel very rewarded by our jobs. I feel comforted going home knowing I helped my patients feel better in a time of crisis like this.
One thing you wish the public knew about COVID-19?
That a lot of people don’t get as sick as others. Some patients look as if they are in critical condition, but other patients could
be fairly fine feeling and truly (test) positive. It is better that we take utmost
caution and don’t go into the public, even if we are feeling fine.
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