Vim & Vigor - Summer 2021 - 56

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Serving in a pandemic requires an
immense amount of creativity, flexibility,
critical thinking and perseverance.
-Steven Wiseman, UVA Health nurse practitioner and Army reservist

Steven Wiseman

When the pandemic hit, many roles
at UVA Health changed. For Steven
Wiseman, it meant moving from
providing care as a nurse practitioner in the UVA neuro intensive
and intermediate care units to helping in the special pathogens unit. In
spring and summer 2020, Wiseman

Steven
Wiseman, UVA
Health nurse
practitioner

was part of the UVA Health team
providing care for a steady flow of
20 to 30 hospitalized patients with
COVID-19.
But the situation was much different elsewhere: On July 20, Wiseman
reported to Valley Baptist Medical
Center in Harlingen, Texas, where
more than 350 people were in need
of intense care.
As a captain in the U.S. Army
Reserve Nurse Corps, Wiseman knew
he'd go wherever he was needed.
" The time between when I received
notification that I was headed to
Texas, and the day that I left, was
just a few days, " he says. " That short
time frame is really unusual for the
Army Reserve and speaks to the
extraordinary circumstances. "
Wiseman was sent to southern Texas as a member of Urban
Augmentation Military Task
Force 7458. The 85-person unit
was among many mobilized by
the Department of Defense in
support of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's response
to the pandemic.
" When we arrived on the ground, "
Wiseman recalls, " we more or less
needed to be functional right away,
and function at a really high level.
After one day of orientation, and a
day of training on their [electronic
medical record system], we started
working in different capacities in

the hospital. In about a week, the
Army took over full staffing for an
entire unit dedicated to treating
COVID patients. "
Adapting quickly to a new
environment under difficult circumstances " requires an immense
amount of creativity, flexibility,
critical thinking and perseverance, "
Wiseman says.
" In essence, I was asked to show
up and do my job while wearing a
different uniform, " he says. " Our
mission was to provide medical
professionals who could integrate
into civilian facilities and support
the increase in patients due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. "
Wiseman returned home in
Crozet, Virginia, in late October to
enjoy the holidays with his wife and
two children. He was happy to be
back working with his UVA neuro
unit colleagues, including Dr. Park.
" It's really nice to be back in the
NNICU [Nerancy Neuroscience
Intensive Care Unit] and NIMU
[Neurological Intermediate Care
Unit], which are my primary home. "
Of course, Wiseman was preparing last winter, if needed, for
another transition: " I'm still credentialed in the SPU and I'm obviously
still an Army Reserve soldier, " he
says, " so as long as COVID-19 is
a concern, then my work environment might change again. " *

PHOTOS BY GETTY IMAGES AND UVA HEALTH

issues that must be addressed for the
success of a mission. It is absolutely
incumbent on leaders to ensure that
all team members feel valued and
that there is an environment where
individuals feel comfortable voicing
concerns. I'm incredibly fortunate to
be part of a department and healthcare system that also recognizes this
important tenet. "
Dr. Park relies on his military
background to help navigate the
challenges encountered daily during
the pandemic.
" Selflessness and putting the team
above yourself is a common attitude
in the uniformed services, and is
applicable in lots of different arenas, "
he says. " The only way to get a handle on the pandemic is for everyone
to unite together toward the common goal of eliminating COVID-19.
This requires a tremendous sacrifice from not only the front-line
healthcare workers but also from
everybody around the world to limit
its spread. "

SUMMER 2021 VIM & VIGOR

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4/28/21 10:45 AM
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2021

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