‘To the Nurse Who Was Fired for Wearing Their Own Mask. To the Nurse Who Tested Positive for COVID’: ER Nurse Stands in Solidarity With Everyone Ever Called “Just a Nurse”

“To the nurse who was fired for wearing their own mask.

To the nurse who has been told they’ll be written up for not adhering to hospital policy.

To the nurse who has been told they can trust policy because it’s based on, “CDC guidelines.”

To the nurse who has worked 4, 5, 6, 7 consecutive, 12 hour shifts.

To the nurse who is supposed to get married soon.

To the nurse who has a spouse also on the front lines.

To the nurse who was verbally assaulted on their way to work.

To the nurse who was physically assaulted by a patient when they got there.

To the nurse who hasn’t hugged or kissed their family in weeks.

To the nurse who has no childcare but must report to work.

To the nurse who is pregnant and feels guilty for not accepting COVID cases.

To the nurse who is immunocompromised, but can’t help but feel like she’s failing her coworkers.

To the nurse who watches some people on the outside defy social distancing recommendations.

To the nurse who now has skin breakdown from prolonged mask-use.

To the nurse who just graduated and is in their first year of nursing.

To the nurse who has been denied COVID- testing.

To the nurse who is a single parent and has had to send their kid away to live with relatives.

To the nurse who only sheds tears in the shower so that it can drain with the water.

To the nurse who has had no food or drink their entire shift.

To the nurse who is diabetic and now their glucose is low.

To the nurse who is skilled in operating the ventilators.

To the nurse who wonders what was the point of all those ethics papers back in nursing school.

To the nurse being bombarded by the media to make statements about their experience.

To the nurse who works on a unit that does not have pulse ox cords in some of the rooms.

To the nurse who was told they no longer need an N95, “per the CDC.”

To the nurse who filled out their Advance Directive- Medical POA after a tough shift.

To the nurse who must find their voice and now use their patient advocacy skills, for themselves.

To the nurse on the floor who has been cancelled for the 3rd time, displaced, or redeployed.

To the nurse who knows deep down this is not just droplet + contact.

To the nurse who’s 25-year-old abdominal pain patient was found to have ground-glass opacities on the CT.

To the nurse who realizes none of the team wore PPE, since abdominal pain was not part of the criteria.

To the nurse who is hiding their pre-existing condition for fear of retaliation, or coming up short for their coworkers.

To the nurse who was just handed their one mask and plastic bag for the day, for the week.

To the nurse who has been living out of a motel to avoid infecting their family.

To the nurse who is running out of sick leave and PTO.

To the nurse who found out their patient was COVID (+) via word of mouth, through the grapevine.

To the nurse who didn’t pack lunch today because their work schedule does not permit time to buy groceries.

To the nurse who stayed up last night sewing together pieces of fabric so that they’d have a mask.

To the nurse who wonders when that mysterious tent that was put up outside will be put into use.

To the nurse in charge who has received 3 CPRs, a stroke, and a trauma, back to back.