Lucio Barreto, BSN, RN
It has been two years…
As the nation went into lockdown, we were activated to respond in overdrive to the needs of our communities. We were as blind about what the future held as the rest of the country, but we knew it was our time to carry the burden and make sure that our patients received the care they deserved. The most transformative power of this pandemic was not what we have learned, but rather how we learned.
We faced more than a virus…
During the last two years, we dealt with racial inequality. We understood that we did not have an America for all. We saw that the ideal of equal rights was not there yet. We faced racism against blacks, Asians, Latin Americans—all normalized under the lens of nationalism and political rhetoric.
We learned that disinformation in the media—falsely claiming that COVID-19 is “nothing to worry about”—can derange our society and work as an obstacle for the common good.
We learned that competent leadership must be brave and walk side by side with their team. That leadership must be transformative and undertake rapid and radical changes to manage any imminent threat.
The pandemic created an opportunity to re-evaluate our lives. We had the time to measure what is important. We had the chance to understand the importance of human connections. We faced our own terrors, hidden by the busy workday, and stood in the mirror to finally see ourselves. We saw how important mental health is in our lives and the lives of others. We took the first step to destigmatize seeking help with mental health (though we are still far from the dreamed ideal).
We learned how adaptable we are. We saw the best and the worst in each other. We came to work filled with anxiety, fatigue, stress and burnout. We knew we were needed. We knew that our patients counted on us.
We cried with strangers at the bedside. We shared our own burden of family members and friends dying when we could not be there. However, we knew that wherever they were being cared for, someone like us was by their side, holding their hand.
We were happy and celebrated every time a patient was able to walk out of the hospital. We were angry when there was nothing else to do to save a life. We were frustrated when a coworker was sick. We were afraid to be the next patient on the stretcher.
We were flexible. We took good care of each other. We dried each other’s tears.
We were resilient. They called us “heroes”. Heroes in scrubs.
What lies ahead: HOPE…
Hope that we do not repeat the same mistakes. Hope that we learned the lesson. Hope that tomorrow will be better.
We learned that we are strong together. We learned that we find a way.
Lucio Barreto, BSN, RN, CCRN, NE-BC, MICN, Clinical Program Manager, Emergency Medicine Quality and Safety, The Mount Sinai Hospital