On the Frontline of COVID-19

Nurses and other health care workers are filling great needs on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Purdue graduate students are no exception.

The School of Nursing has several students who are committed to serving as registered nurses while also continuing and completing their graduate studies. Below, some of these students share how they are managing it all.

Alyson Dorrell (MS NUR ’21) works at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis in the pediatric intensive care unit. She will graduate next May with a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner Master of Science in Nursing (MS/PNP) degree.

“Working during a pandemic has been stressful,” Dorrell says. “We are taking patients up to 30 years old, so caring for patients out of my usual scope is daunting. The policies and guidelines are constantly changing, and the supplies are dwindling, but the one thing that remains strong and united are my coworkers. We truly have each other’s backs when it comes to safety and taking care of our patients.

“Getting my PNP has always been a goal, and a virus is not going to stop that. I work long, hard days at the hospital, but then come home and work long, hard days finishing papers and assignments. Fortunately, our professors have been incredibly understanding by allowing extensions on exams and assignments.”

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Chris West, (MS NUR ’21) normally an operating room nurse at Riley Hospital for Children, is a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner Master of Science in Nursing (MS/PNP) candidate on track to graduate next spring. He voluntarily deployed to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to help in one of the COVID ICUs.

“I work with nurses from all over: resource pool, pediatrics, newly unretired and former ICU nurses who left the bedside to return to help during this time,” West says. “The most rewarding moment in all of this came when an intubated patient that our nursing team was caring for was alert enough to point at her heart and then point at one of my teammates. When asked if she was trying to say ‘thank you,’ the patient simply nodded ‘yes.’

“I'd be lying if I told you I stayed on top of every bit of my studies while working during the pandemic. When it came to deploying to the adult COVID ICU world, my mind switched gears from my studies to learn everything I could about the environment I'd be heading into: what my role would be, how I could best fit in with my nursing team, and how I could provide the best care to my patients. Since then, I’ve gotten caught up on everything and am excited for the end of the semester.”

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Tibbie Smith (MSN NUR ’20) has been an RN for over 25 years. She has an MSN in nursing leadership and graduated in May 2020 with her family nurse practitioner (FNP) certificate. As the nursing unit manager at IU Health Arnett in Lafayette, Indiana, for the hospital nursing resource pool, she spends much of her time staffing for Arnett and other IU Health facilities. She believes her primary job is the health and wellness of her nursing staff.

“Work has been a mix of emotions, and this uncertainty is something I never thought I’d experience,” Smith says. “My hours have been longer, but my studies remain. Luckily my instructors understand these struggles and have been very helpful in making sure I am moving forward and not becoming stagnant.”

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Melissa Matricia (MS NUR ’20) graduated this spring with her adult gerontology nurse practitioner Master of Science in Nursing (MS/AGNP) degree and she currently works at IU Health Arnett-Resource Pool.

“It was mentally more difficult to balance school, home life and work,” Matricia says. “I am grateful for the time our professors put into ensuring that our program stayed on track. They have been outstanding leaders, and we could not have finished this without their guidance. My husband is a paramedic and also was potentially exposed to COVID, so we have been taking extra precautions so we don’t bring anything home to our 3-year-old son. But there is constant worry and stress.

“COVID really hit home for me when I lost my grandfather to the virus in late April. The most difficult thing to see while working, and have experienced personally, is families unable to be with their loved ones once they are admitted to the hospital. I have found that constant communication with families regarding their loved ones has helped them cope.”

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Kelly Bons (MS NUR ’20) graduated this spring with a psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner Master of Science in Nursing (MS/PMHNP) degree.

At the same time, she serves as a PRN at Community Health Network in the Behavioral Health Pavilion, spending the majority of her time as the vice chair of nursing congress for the network and co-chair for north region shared governance. She is also is a forensic nurse examiner at St. Vincent Ascension emergency room on 86th Street in Indianapolis.

“We have good days and bad days,” Bons says. “But the most beautiful part about the hospital is how much everyone has come together.”

Though she feels very lucky to be able to finish school and practice on the frontlines, she admits that the hardest part is deciding what to focus on.

“Do I pick up more shifts to help out? Do I work part time and study extra for my certification exam? It was so hard to work 13 hours, have multiple trauma Code 1 cases in my shift, then come home and try to study,” Bons says. “Self-care has been my most crucial part in this. To cope, I am always looking for the silver linings, whether it’s a recovered patient, a sweet note or a call from my family.”