This is the Virtual ED Nursing Photo journal in reflection of our Covid-19 journey at Mount Sinai Morningside Emergency Department. I am certain that the sentiments will resonate with everyone on the front lines. The fears of the unknown transcend disciplines, titles, and even geography.
The ED photo album started as a collection of pictures, some submitted by those very same nurses in the direct line of fire, the ones who are at the bedside, in the front lines. I assume that these pictures were made in defiance, as well as an assurance to ourselves, that this too will pass. We were optimistic that these pictures will someday be just the chronicle of that unforgettable moment in our nursing lives. Who knows, we might just end up in the archives.
Somehow, this became a journal of our collective experience during the pandemic. I collected some of my nurses' personal reflections; I understand their need to share, to relieve their hearts of the burden.
For me, Journaling is a coping mechanism, it puts things in perspective, and it slows things down to manageable parts. It is a therapeutic activity to drain the brain of stressful recollections. Maybe, when it's written on paper, the pain loses its intensity, and it would not be as horrible. Writing eases my heartache.
While recording our anxieties, we were able to reflect on the special opportunity we have to serve those who are vulnerable. We found our joy and purpose in being valuable members of the healthcare team. So, this is also a gratitude journal. In the darkness brought by this scourge, the nurses, and of course, the rest of the healthcare team, emerge triumphant.
This is one department's journey in pictures, reflections of individual and the ED team strengths. Moments of levity are captured in-between moments of heartbreak. This photo journal captures our resilience against adversity.
In this Covid-19 crisis, ER nurses put their fears aside and
placed their patients front and center. We remain resilient despite the
challenges of this pandemic. On this Year of the Nurse 2020, of a time that
even Florence Nightingale on her 100th birthday would have given us her seal of
approval. I am never more proud to be an ER nurse.
