What’s it like to be a millennial healthcare frontliner?
Millennials are seen as individuals who are independent, pragmatic, and tech-savvy. The latter part surely helps those who are thriving in the new normal’s work from home set-up. But some choose to risk their lives to save others – like healthcare frontliners.
Enter the life of Kesia Jalac, a 27-year-old nurse who shares what it’s like to navigate at a time when COVID-19 unexpectedly struck the world. While almost everyone’s eyes are probably glued on the monitor, her life continues beyond the screens.
The hospital is her playground
You’ve seen many famous series about medical professionals, but of course, their depiction isn’t always on point since it’s just a show after all. But Kesia will show a realistic glimpse of what her work is like, specifically now that the everyone has been battling the virus for almost two years.
The University of Sto. Tomas graduate has been working since 2017 at St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City as a bedside nurse in the Cardiovascular ICU area. She shared, ‘I do everything from facilitating doctor’s orders, assisting patients in basic needs, giving medications, and collaborating with other members of the health care team.’
Kesia’s usual routine involves helping one, sometimes two, patients at a time. But the virus somewhat disrupted her regular day-to-day as it brought some changes. She and the staff have to wear PPE bunny suits when they assist in COVID units. And while face shields aren’t mandatory in the country anymore, they still have to wear them together with N95 masks.
There is also this constant feeling of worry that now shadows over her when she handles a patient who potentially has the virus. But her main concern is when she goes home to her family in the province. She said, ‘I cannot be in super close contact with them since I know I may be a carrier.’
Beating the virus is a superpower
Healthcare frontliners are considered modern-day superheroes. But at the end of the day, they’re humans, too. When Kesia contracted the disease during the start of lockdown in 2020, she considered it the biggest challenge of her career so far.
It was a time when the people weren’t sure how the disease will progress, and Kesia had to be in quarantine. She lives alone in Manila, with no relatives nearby. Anyone who contracted the virus would know that apart from fighting it physically, it also felt like a mental game.
‘I had to be in isolation for almost 3 months because I had to wait for 2 consecutive negative RT-PCR results before they released me back to work,’ she continued. ‘It was fairly new to me to be in isolation because I was used to being with somebody most of the time and it definitely gave me anxiety.’
Returning to work was a challenge, as COVID left her experiencing shortness of breath even with the slightest of activity during work. ‘Difficult’ is an understatement when it comes to what she does.
Kesia admits she still enjoys her job despite the burnout because of the people she’s surrounded with. She explained, ‘My workmates are the type of people who, in spite of a busy duty, can still lift up the mood and make the workload tolerable and fun!’
Nurse by day, sold-out bedroom artist by night
When Kesia is free from wearing scrubs, she’s cooped up in her place and lives a double life like Hannah Montana – except her concerts are held in her bedroom. She shared, ‘[I’m] learning the ukulele and making covers that only I have access to.’
If there’s anything that you’ll hear her singing, it’s probably a Taylor Swift track since she’s a big fan of the singer. She enthusiastically explained how she was a Swiftie long before the hype over the Taylor’s Version album, ‘I have been a fan of her since Teardrops On My Guitar song. Her songs are very much relatable, catchy, and shower-concert worthy.’
Kesia’s way of relaxing when she’s not on call is similar to what other people her age are doing when stuck in isolation. She admits that scrolling through TikTok and playing Mobile Legends consumes most of her free time. She also brought up that her binge-watch list includes Money Heist and The Good Doctor.
At the end of the day, Kesia is still like everyone else trying to get by — except she’s just a little bit more exhausted than the rest of the world. When asked what keeps her going, she mentioned two things that she holds close to her heart: the vulnerable population and her family.
‘I always keep in mind that my patients are part of the vulnerable population and they motivate me to give them the utmost care that I can to survive,’ she elaborated. ‘Meanwhile, my family gives me [a reason] to still fight against this pandemic so I can spend time with them with no worries that I will be the one to put them at risk.’
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Source: we the pvblic
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