Men In Nursing 2020
Ricardo Alan De Barros, Telemetry Unit, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital
Looking back on this year, what have been the biggest changes in your practice?
This year has been an eye-opener when it comes to caring for other people, showing me what empathy really means: not only being able to put myself in someone’s position, but also to connect on a deeper level with a patient. At the same time, we were all scared of this new disease, and had to quickly learn and adapt to the constant changing CDC COVID-19 guidelines.
Tell us about the most inspirational thing you’ve experienced as a nurse during this pandemic.
A father and son who were both very sick with the virus, and the father responded to treatment much quicker than his son did. My colleagues and I were afraid that the son would not have the strength to beat COVID-19. The father prayed for his son every day. Thankfully, after weeks of treatment, the son pulled through and was able to call his father on the phone to tell him he was going to be okay. His father had tears in his eyes. I will never forget those two men and their fight.
