Brianne Stewart, RN, Emergency Department nurse
“When everything hit the fan with the coronavirus, I was in my seventh month of pregnancy. My mom was a nervous wreck, as any mother would be; she and my family wanted me to stop working so I wouldn’t be exposed to COVID-19. But I never even considered that. I’m going to work, I’ve got a job to do.
I was going to to be there for our team and our patients. I’ve been dreaming about nursing for as long as I can remember, and I busted my butt for this career. This is my first nursing job. I’ve been here two years. When you’re a nurse, you don’t go to work thinking about yourself. I think many of us compartmentalize.
As an Emergency Department nurse, you know you’re going to the front lines and that you have to put yourself in as safe a situation as possible. I was gowned up, I didn’t touch my face or my phone, I washed my hands—all the things you learn in nursing school. I made myself as protected as I could be. I continued to go to OB appointments via telemedicine, taking prenatal vitamins and staying healthy in all the ways I could control.
I also knew that everyone on the team had my back. I can tell you that I work with the most selfless, admirable people ever. This experience has changed all of our lives and hit us pretty hard, mentally and emotionally. But we have such a strong team. I’m so proud of them.”