Shawn Pettit '13 BSN, RN

Staff Nurse, Emergency Department
Good Samaritan Hospital, TriHealth, Cincinnati, OH

April 7, 2020

It's been a strange time to be an ER nurse here in Ohio. The usual patient flow has been diminished, as many people are following the state's stay-at-home order. The hallways are sometimes eerily silent; there's no visitors and the staff are preparing for the eventual surge. 

We've been prepping as best we can, expanding inpatient space, training staff from other departments to take on inpatient assignments, and trying to encourage each other as ER nurses and providers. It's a potentially scary time, but we've been doing a good job of sticking together and providing support to each other and our patients. 

More and more, I've been thinking about Villanova's motto: Veritas, Unitas, Caritas. The tenets of truth, unity, and charity are more important than ever in nursing right now. People have asked me if I'm scared about what's to come, and of course I am, but providing honest and compassionate care with my work family is what I'm meant to do. I'll continue to do that every day that I possibly can.