The coronavirus pandemic emerged as an unprecedented challenge that brought all activities worldwide to a grinding halt. Life as we knew it ended, and we found ourselves enclosed within the confines of our home, hiding from a novel virus. The first few months were the toughest, as much wasn’t know about COVID-19, its origins, and treatment course.
The rising death toll and infected people gripped us with fear and anxiety. Hospitals started filling up, and millions had to mourn their loved ones while millions succumbed to the virus. Nurses, doctors, physicians, scientists, epidemiologists, and public health professionals fought the pandemic from the frontlines.
Healthcare providers emerged at the forefront, and these heroes without capes risked their safety to save lives and bend the curve. They did not exercise their privilege to prioritize their safety. Instead, these unsung heroes put themselves in harm’s way to heal the infected and save thousands of families from heartache.
How did healthcare practitioners become heroes without a cape? Keep reading to find out.
Standing in Harm’s Way
Protecting oneself from an airborne virus that spreads through contact and unnecessary outdoor exposure is dauntingly overwhelming. Locking ourselves indoors and shunning all outside contact seemed like the best course of action. However, everyone did not have the privilege to stay safe and protected within the confines of their homes.
Nurse leaders carved out a prominent role, taking center stage as the shortages of skilled physicians continued to rise. Nurses with doctoral degrees have enjoyed immense clinical significance and active participation in diagnosis and treatment in recent years. Pursuing an online dnp program is a dynamic route to carving out leader positions and making a lasting impact.
The pandemic witnessed nurse leaders taking charge of healthcare organizations and risking their lives to protect their patients. Nurses with advanced skills and education enjoy greater clinical significance, and their expertise proved monumental throughout the pandemic. In many areas worldwide, nurse leaders had to take charge without physicians and skilled doctors.
Healthcare professionals choose to stand in harm’s way to help millions of patients struggling to breathe after getting infected. Despite knowing little about the novel virus and treatments, nurses, physicians, and healthcare providers worked tirelessly to fight the pandemic. They not only risked their safety but also put their family and loved ones at risk.
Social media and news reports were abuzz with heroic tales of healthcare providers saving each day with their tireless efforts. Many nurses, doctors, and technicians tested positive and succumbed to the virus, while others recovered and continued the fight. Healthcare providers did not abandon their posts despite the apparent risk factors and physical discomforts.
Withstanding Extreme Discomfort
Healthcare providers struggled to adjust and embrace the new normal ushered by the COVID-19 virus. Traditional norms were put aside and replaced by heavy protective gear to serve as barriers between patients and practitioners. Imagine working long and exhausting hours, wearing grossly uncomfortable protective gear, in highly stressful environments.
Doctors, nurses, and hospital staff members had to withstand severe discomfort and agony to follow the safety protocols. Practitioners are instructed to wear protective gowns, face visors, surgical masks, and a vast host of other gear. Many took to social media to share their ordeals of horrid skin rashes, irritation, and discomfort.
Professionals who tested positive for the virus had to isolate themselves, only to return to the same routine after recovering. They withstood extreme discomfort and severe stress to continue fighting against the pandemic and saving precious lives.
Investigating & Controlling the Spread
When a novel virus or disease breaks out, doctors and healthcare providers struggle to deal with health risks and threats. Treatments and therapies to cure physical and mental health treatments have emerged from centuries of knowledge, research, and development. The coronavirus pandemic took the world completely by surprise.
No one was prepared or equipped, from professionals at the World Health Organization (WHO) to doctors and nurses at your nearest hospital. As the world was gripped with uncertainty and fear, epidemiologists were the first to launch an investigation. Epidemiologists are disease investigators and vaccine creators who identify the causes and formulate treatments and vaccines.
Their job is to locate the origins, identify causes and risk factors, and formulate strategies to curb the spread. Pharmaceutical scientists, public health researchers, and disease investigators must protect high-risk populations and introduce cures to control the virus. These professionals have a monumental role in stopping the spread of the virus and giving people a fighting chance.
Without understanding the cause and effect of a virus, healthcare providers cannot treat its symptoms and eliminate its hold on the body. Epidemiologists and public health professionals are frontline fighters, usually the first to emerge on the scene and launch investigations. Without their research and contributions, the world wouldn’t have multiple vaccines and mass awareness programs.
Formulating Treatments & Vaccines
The journey from combatting against a novel virus to rolling out mass vaccination drives was long, arduous, and exhausting. Epidemiologists, bio researchers, and pharmaceutical scientists worked tirelessly to design vaccines that could deliver results. The process of developing a vaccine isn’t easy, requiring multiple trials and tests.
However, time was of the essence because delaying the development of the vaccine would heighten the death toll and casualties. These pharmaceutical scientists and epidemiologists worked under crippling pressure to give the world a fight chance.
Mental Support & Counseling
Misinformation and stigmas around the virus made it hard for patients to share their diagnoses with community members and friends. No one wants to carry the stigma of being infected and carrying an airborne virus. Those who tested positive were isolated in hospital beds, and millions breathed their last without seeing their loved ones.
Nursing professionals, doctors, physicians, and healthcare providers had to wear many hats to give their patients cheerful company. These dedicated practitioners put aside their anxiety and stress and focused on reviving their patients. They provided invaluable emotional support and counseled them towards wellness and positivity.
Aside from treating the physical symptoms, care providers helped them overcome anxiety, depression, and fear. The pandemic aggravated mental health illnesses, and mental practitioners bent over backward to support their patients.
Final Thoughts
The fight against the pandemic is still raging on, and the world owes its healthcare professionals an enormous debt of gratitude. These frontline fighters have rescued us from harm’s way by risking their safety and forgoing their privilege. Their sincerity towards their profession and its sanctity allowed the world to recover from the pandemic and work towards wellness.
