RALEIGH, N.C. -- Two EMS fellows from UNC Chapel Hill got more than they initially bargained for when serving with the Wake Emergency Operations Center over the last year. 

“No one could have expected it or knows how to deal with it,” said Dr. Mariecely Luciano- Feijoo, “So it was really interesting how, from the beginning, we tried to develop new protocols, new work flow, and how day-by-day, even from the morning to the evening, it changed really quickly.”

This experience, while tough, served as a time of growth. 

“What we have right now, the knowledge we have about this virus, it is so limited due to its novel characteristics, "Dr. Luciano-Feijoo said. "We are still learning daily.”

Dr. Johannah Nerrill also worked at the Wake EOC and is an UNC fellow as well. 

She says their daily responsibilities at the year-long fellowship moved inside once the pandemic hit. 

“The state highway patrol shut down the medical office so we were doing virtual visits for the troopers instead," Dr. Merrill said. "We are unable to ride along with any of the medical directors or paramedics at this point due to risk for exposure and need for conserving PPE.”

The pandemic taught an unexpected lesson. It’s one both women say they will take with them in their future careers. 

“Our profession changes all the time, that there’s going to continue to be growth in every aspect of it and we need to continue to be flexible,” Dr. Merrill said.

Dr. Luciano-Feijoo  will spend another year working as an attending physician at UNC hospitals while Dr. Merrill is moving to Lawrence, Massachusetts where she will serve as the EMS medical director at Lawrence General Hospital.