(peaceful music)
>> So those first couple of days when COVID first started
it was filled with a lot of anxiety.
Just even the facilities
and making the rooms negative pressure.
>> I had to go get lunches
because the lunch cart was not allowed in.
The noise, the poppers, the hair,
from all that air breaking off the hair and stuff.
>> You can't walk in to the unit
unless you are physically and mentally prepared.
>> You know, initially people were very concerned about,
"what do we wear and how do we wash my hands?"
And all these things.
And now the focus is
how do we best take care of this patient?
And should we use this piece of evidence
or this piece of evidence?
And some of those initial concerns,
just sort of melted away.
>> We got a little bit more comfortable
once we had all 12 patients in our MICU
were COVID patients and we knew what to expect.
And I think our anxiety lessened a little bit
just knowing that we had a set way to do things.
>> Douglas: I sat down
with one of the infectious disease people.
We had lots of questions.
And once she explained to me,
I felt very confident that they knew what they were doing
and that probably in many ways
we were doing more than was necessary.
>> There is a lot less of, "Oh, we can't do this."
I just don't hear that as much.
I just kinda hear, "We'll take care of it."
"We're gonna handle this."
"We know how to do this now."
And so I think it will, and I think it does now,
sort of empower the entire staff and unit
to feel confident and capable
in taking care of some of the sickest patients
in the country.
>> Since the beginning of COVID,
we've all had to jump into action
and just kind of deal with the situation at hand.
And so this opened our eyes to so many opportunities
in how we can really impact research as a whole.
And MICU's been involved in a few of them.
>> If this drug trial makes it anywhere,
to know that we were a part of something this big,
it's kinda nice.
>> And one of the reasons that many of us are here at Hopkins
is because an educational environment
is a fun place to be.
There's people asking questions, there's curiosity.
The rigor of investigation is unparalleled.
I'll bring two residents, an intern, a fellow,
the nurse, everybody's at the bedside,
and so what I tell the patients is what that means is that
there are so many people thinking about
how to make you better from this, right?
What's wrong with you and how do we get you better.
And not just from giving you the right medication,
I mean, all the way from the physical therapist
to the occupational therapist.
>> It doesn't matter what your role is in healthcare.
In the thick of it, we needed every single person
from EVS, to respiratory, to the providers,
to nursing, to the social workers.
Everybody played such a critical role
and is still doing that.
And I think we just function better as a team.
>> We have had some amazing success stories.
Patients that I thought there's no way, there's no way.
And they defied everything and survived.
There's a picture of me standing in front of a room.
And I had my PAPR hood on and my scrubs
and I had my arms in the air like,
"Yes! I can't even believe
that this man is off the ventilator."
>> Rossana: You can feel it when you walk in
that there is that level of respect and support
that without a doubt, it's like of the unspoken rule.
You walk in, they know what needs to happen,
and it just gets done.
And that comes with time, but also with experience,
and that's what our ICU nurses are like that here.
>> Victoria: Being a nurse during this time,
it's a big deal.
It makes me feel pride in the work that you do.
>> Teresa: We were there every day.
I was just happy to be there
because everybody is just gonna be there.
>> Jennifer: The sun will always rise.
Those patients will still be there
and the care has to continue.
So we keep going.
I don't wanna work anywhere else.
That MICU is home to me.
And those people are my family.