What’s a typical day like for you now?
It’s ever-changing. It’s not very consistent. It’s always a new fire or dilemma or piece of education to share. We’re educating our staff on how to put on N95 masks because we started wearing them in the office with patient care. So Monday was educating everyone on the process to put on the mask and take it off because we have to make sure they aren’t cross-contaminating. I consider myself now the infectious disease patrol.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about washing hands?
That they can do it and not think about it again. You can’t have a false sense of security. You have to always be on alert as to what you touch. When was the last time you washed your hands and what are you going to touch again? It’s something you have to always keep in the back of your mind. Your hands are dirty until you wash them.
You conduct tests for COVID-19 in the clinic’s parking lot. Walk me through that process.
It’s out of my routine. I have to think about—do I have everything before I go out? Do I have my mask, my gloves, my gown? Do I have everything I need to conduct a visit because if I have to come back into the building, I need to come out of all my dirty gear, and that can extend a visit if you go back and forth—it can really slow the process.
I have to make sure I have a clear head so I can remember everything I take with me. Then, walking up to the patient, I’m a little concerned as to what I’m going to approach or how anxious they are going to be, as many of them are. I need to make sure I have a cool head about me so I can give them the perception of calm and cool. I don’t want to excite them more than they already are.
More patients are extremely thankful we are offering the service of coming out to the parking lot. Some have offered me flowers, which I often decline because I’m not sure what risk of contamination that could be.
When we conduct a visit, I try to get as many vital signs as possible—temperature, oxygen level, heart rate. We address what their concerns are. Before we go out, we do a telephone triage where we assess their symptoms so we don’t have to worry about documenting them. We do a swab based on patients’ concerns and how at-risk they are because we are limited as to how many we have. We don’t have many [tests] at all, so not everyone may meet the qualifications for swabs.
Contact Raleigh news editor Leigh Tauss at [email protected].
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