funny bone

Posts Tagged ‘Doctors and nurses’

But how do I know if we’re both wearing masks?

The vibe’s different now. Covid’s basically under control and the staff isn’t freaking out about Monkey Pox, but MASKS are still required.

I miss SMILES… connecting with SMILES… getting feedback from SMILES… I especially miss  smiling with Dr. Privacy and seeing HIS smile. I hadn’t realized how important smiles were to my ER life because I took them for granted.

Sadly this is so not happening!

Mira says I’m totally overthinking this. She insists that he can see my eyes smile, but Mira’s like the ideal volunteer who always says and thinks the perfect thing — she’s like Mother Theresa’s daughter. When I look in the mirror, I don’t see smiling eyes. No, I see a fugly mask that goes yuckily with my fugly hospital smock. Guess I should be happy none of my fans can recognize me. WAIT! Do I even still have them?

Conundrum: How can I #BeAuthentic if I’m masked?

FACIAL FEEDBACK shows friendliness (or not) —

Facial expressions help us read and understand each other. If I can’t see someone’s face and vice versa, I go into a funk. It’s kinda like going to an audition where the CD has a blank face. If I can’t see someone’s facial expression it’s hard to get a sense if I’m nailing it or failing it.

I feel like masks zap the warmth from everyday life at the hospital. It’s impossible to look cute with a mask.

I guess I can try to be the reason someone smiles today… even if I can’t see it. But it’ll be a challenge, trust me.

I know — I’ll study up on body language before my next shift. I’ll make eye contact and mirror Dr. Privacy. Maybe that’ll  bring back the spark we felt before Covid — or was it just me? Maybe I’ll start with the patients — they’ll be more receptive.

Aha! I just sneaked one in. Removing my mask is the NEW NAUGHTY!

Man do things change! As many of you know, I volunteer at an ER at a big hospital in L.A.

When I started I didn’t want to be there — the blood…the yuck… the smells…  

But after a while I started feeling the gratitude from patients and families as I’d try — Evie-style — to make their stressful experiences a little less stressful.  Suddenly I wanted to do more, be there more, help people more… Things started to change… or was it me who was starting to change?

Working up-close-and-personal with doctors, nurses, EMTs, CPs, guards, clerks, environmental services, and administrators, I saw how hard they all worked in their shared goal to give the best patient care. I gained a new respect for them and what it took to be them.

Surprisingly, they started appreciating me too — or was it my chocolate chip cookies?

Courage In The Time of Coronavirus

But, now that Volunteers have been put on leave because it’s too dangerous to be there, I’m soooo worried about my ER family: Triage Nurse Anthony Chan, Charlayne my Supervisor (don’t tell her I said that), Miguel the ER Guard and Dr. A... especially Dr. A… They’re all putting in in 12-16 hours a day, with a shortage of PPE, surrounded by Covid 19 germs…  

From time-to-time I post about the heroes among us — ordinary humans who do extraordinary things in the life-threatening situations.

Little did I know that I’d know some…, in the scariest of situations in the scariest of times… they’re so vulner… I hope they’ll… I can’t even…