These are trying times for all of us in healthcare, and especially in emergency nursing. We are the front lines dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and some of us are doing so without the PPE necessary to stay safe. Does anyone else feel it is somehow truly ironic, yet so beautifully fitting that the year 2020, designated as the International Year of the Nurse, is also the time when most of us are faced with what is likely our biggest challenge since the AIDS epidemic? I personally feel that nurses shine all the time, but now is our opportunity to demonstrate our radiance as we not only care for these patients, but use our ingenuity, intelligence, and common sense to find ways to conquer the challenges we are meeting. I heard of a group of nurses in Washington state who, after finding their PPE running low with no chance of getting more, went to Home Depot and local craft stores to find materials to make their own face shields, N95 masks, and gowns!! Nurses problem-solving at their best! No, not ideal and definitely unacceptable, but still - this is us!
I wanted to let you all know that national ENA and Florida ENA are here for you. Thank you to all who answered the call to teach Stop the Bleed at the NSNA convention in April. We received notice today that conference has been cancelled. Because we had such a great response, we are looking to do some classes later this year and will let you know. Although we are cancelling our Stop the Bleed class for April 3, postponing our Chapter Leaders Orientation scheduled for April 2, and limiting our state council meeting on April 3 to executive board and a few council members, we are still trying find ways to communicate and meet your needs. The state council meeting will be available on the Zoom platform and I will post information for those who may wish to join in on Facebook and this website. I am also considering setting up a time every other week for something like a Zoom check in, where members can share their challenges, work-arounds, and successes with each other during this trying time. If you get a chance, let me know what you think of that idea.
In closing, I wanted to thank you all for representing emergency nurses as the heroes you all are. It's okay to be scared - I'm scared a bit, too. We will all get through this just as we all get through those horrible shifts at work - together. Because, no one gets us or has our back like another emergency nurse!
Thank for all that you do and the ingenuity you are showing,
Penny Blake, BSN, CCRN, CEN