CU Nursing - Spring/Summer 2020 - 9

9

COLLEGE

It's heartbreaking. There are so many
losses. I had to call a mother to tell her
that her 38-year-old son passed away."
- Oriana Cruz, alumna serving on the front lines in New York

know. Ideally, it would have helped to
have talked to someone on the ground
about what I was walking into."
Despite the lack of knowledge, she
is upbeat about her experience. "I'm
likely to sign up again," said Cruz
whose first stint was for 21 days and
started March 23.

DAY IN THE LIFE OF A NURSE
IN NEW YORK DURING
THE COVID-19 CRISIS
Cruz's day begins at 6 p.m. where she
takes a private bus from her hotel to
Elmhurst Hospital. Her shift in the
Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
starts at 7 p.m. and ends at 7 a.m.
Upon arrival, she dons her 'bunny suit'
and an N-95 mask and covers it with
another surgical mask in an attempt
to make the N-95 last longer. "When

we arrived at the end of March there
was no training. We didn't do a fit for
the N-95 masks and can't be assured
that it fits... So, we do what we can
to create more protective layers."
Her two 'bunny suits' are kept at the
hospital and reused by her.
Her company has been "great. They
tell us if we don't feel safe, don't
enter the facility. So we can decline,"
said Cruz. For Cruz and her fellow
traveling nurses, that hasn't happened yet. They still rush in where
many fear to tread.
In the MICU where she spends her
days, 16 beds are full of patients who
range in age from 32 - 63 years of age.
"We are consumed by coronavirus patients," said Cruz. When asked about
innovative therapies like plasma transfusions and nitrous oxide, Cruz said,

"We are doing what we can, but there
is no money for experimental types
of treatment." There to help in any
aspect she can, Cruz assists at bedside
procedures, picks up blood for transfusions, places orders for medications,
does chest compressions during CPR,
and calls family members to update
them on a patient's health status or
imminent death. For Cruz, "It's heartbreaking. There are so many losses. I
had to call a mother to tell her that her
38-year-old son passed away."

New York
firefighters
thank health
care workers
at Elmhurst
Hospital.

The nurses work 14 days on, one day
paid leave and six on. "It's tiring,"
said Cruz. But she's invigorated by the
patients and how gracious and grateful the patients and staff are for the
nurses who traveled to help. "What
keeps me going is the resilience of the
nurses, physicians, and residents. We
are filled with hope when a patient is
extubated. That's what drives us."

GRATEFUL FOR HER CU EDUCATION
Cruz credits her training and education
from CU College of Nursing for her
ability to handle the pressures and the
workload of being on the front lines
in New York. She fondly recalled her
instructors at CU - Drs. Krista Estes,
Rosario Medina, and Kim Paxton. "I
had great teachers. They were encouraging and positive. They helped me
become who I am today. This is what I
was meant to do," said Cruz.

Oriana Cruz,
her mother and
niece celebrate
her admission
into CU Nursing's
FNP program.
CU Nursing - Spring/Summer 2020

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