For National Nurses Week Spectrum News takes a look at the nurses who are taking care of COVID-19 patients across central New York.
Nurses at Upstate University Hospital see their role as an opportunity to help families during one of the most difficult times.
"This is something I was absolutely meant to do and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” said Upstate University Hospital ICU Nurse Siobhan Keough.
Keough is one of 56 nurses taking care of COVID-19 patients in the Upstate University Hospital Intensive Care Unit.
"Unfortunately, on the unit that I work on, we take care of the some of the sickest people in probably 11 counties in the area,” said Keough.
These nurses have watched how the coronavirus can take lives first hand.
“They risk their lives coming taking care of these patients,” said Upstate University Hospital Pressure Injury Prevention Manager Cheryl Waldron. “Because they truly have a compassion in nursing and caring for their patients. They are there for the patients, not only the patients, but the families as well.”
But when a patient comes into the COVID-19 unit, the nurses are prepared to make their time in the hospital special.
“Nursing is actually an art. We do a lot of changes, whether its technology changes, we adapt very quickly with those changes. So, I think having this pandemic happening in our unit alone, in the hospital I feel like we all got to together and adapted and structured ourselves to be able to be flexible and just act accordingly,” said Waldron.
In a devastating time, they see their role as something greater than providing health care.
"I always tell new nurses, and I try to remind myself six years into it. Always think of it as a blessing. Is it sad? Absolutely, it's horrific. But I think that's why we come back to work the next day, because if we even make a little bit, or just a slight difference in these people's lives. We're able to let them know, let the family know that we're holding their hand at the end of life. That might be all that that family needs,” said Keough.