We recently made a call-out for nominations to spotlight women on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re awe-inspired by the work being done across so many industries in order to protect and take care of our world during this time—and we’re thrilled to pivot our efforts to focus specifically on sharing the stories of the women who are putting us first. Enter Jessica: a Registered Nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in the Children’s Steinbrenner Emergency/Trauma Center who has committed her life and career to saving lives and helping those who need it most. When she’s not in the ER, she’s in school pursuing her BSN—and additional nursing certifications—full-time. She’s gritty, brilliant and doing such important work during this incredibly unprecedented time.

The Basics:

Hometown: Bradenton, Florida
Current city: St. Petersburg, Florida
Alma mater: Galen College of Nursing, Tampa Bay
Degree: A.A., Nursing; Currently pursuing BSN
Very first job: Post closing at a title company
Hustle: Registered Nurse, St. Joseph’s Children’s Steinbrenner Emergency/Trauma Center

The Interests:

Babe you admire and why?
I don’t have one babe who I admire, but I am constantly in awe of the many babes I have worked with throughout this profession. Being a nurse, I am surrounded by fiercely smart, humble and truly inspiring women daily. The first who pops in my mind is my first nursing manager, Heather Bonn. She hired me as a patient care technician while in nursing school with zero hands-on background for patient care. She encouraged me to apply for our graduate internship program for new nurses, and then again hired me as a brand-new nurse within the department. Heather was a phenomenal mentor and manager. She allowed each team member to grow and was such a wonderful resource who always made you feel like she was your biggest fan. Now that I am in our pediatric emergency department, I am constantly amazed by the level of knowledge and skills each person has, from our wonderful techs to our phenomenal doctors. I learn something new every day from them. A day doesn’t go by without hearing a voice of encouragement or praise from someone on our team.

Current power anthem?
I’ve been starting my mornings with “Sunday Best,” by Surfaces, for the last few months. It’s such a feel-good song that gets me ready for the workday.

Favorite place you’ve traveled to?
I was lucky enough to travel throughout Europe last October and I fell in love with Paris. The city life, cafes, architecture—it felt like home the first day.

Favorite way to unplug?
Being outdoors! I have found that a quick bike ride around the neighborhood or a little walk with my pup Tucker is the fastest way to de-stress.

The Hustle:

Tell us about your hustle.
I work as a pediatric critical care emergency nurse in one of the busiest emergency centers in the nation. Additionally, I am co-chair for our department’s Professional Practice Council, which meets monthly to discuss departmental needs and process improvements for the hospital. Working in the emergency department, every shift is different. We never know who will be coming through the doors and are required to be prepared for anything, from a knee scratch to respiratory arrest. Outside of work, I am currently enrolled full-time online with Galen College of Nursing for the BSN program, and I am studying to receive both my trauma nursing core course (TNCC) and pediatric certified emergency nurse (CPEN) certifications.

What does your typical workday look like?
A typical workday for me consists of waking up around 5:00 a.m., getting to work to receive reports, assessing our patients, and then doing our department checks. At any given time, we may get a page that we have a trauma/code coming in and will need to quickly establish the team to respond. This can get difficult if we are at full capacity with critical patients; it requires the entire team to balance the workload across the department. Serving our pediatric population means that not only do we have clinical duties to perform, but we must consider their developmental needs as well. This may mean slowing down to explain a scary procedure or bringing in a prize for a job well done after holding still for an IV or suture.

Have you always been passionate about nursing?
I’m a third-generation nurse, with the majority of my family working in healthcare. Growing up, my mother would joke and tell me “never be a nurse, be a doctor.” I would laugh—and up until my early twenties, I never thought about working as a nurse. While pursuing a degree in social work, I had a strong desire to be more hands-on with helping people. I had to truly reflect on what my passion was, and it always came back to a centralized idea of helping those in need. When I realized nursing may be for me, my mother cried very happy tears. It wasn’t until I found myself working with our pediatric patients that I felt I was where I belonged.

How has your job changed since the COVID-19 hit?
New roles have been created that we have never seen before, including screening checkpoints on the main roads leading to our facility, temperature scanning at all main entrances, manning the military triage tent in front of our emergency department (which requires full protective gear at all times), and converting half of our department’s bed capacity into respiratory cohort units to treat the surge of potential COVID-19 patients. Our role has evolved to prioritize safety over patient care. So, what does that mean? We staff a dedicated safety officer, who ensures we are wearing the correct protective equipment with each patient interaction. We now work each cardiac arrest in a negative airflow room in full protection, and what used to require 10 nurses, now we limit to two or three to minimize exposure. Our hospital has been put on complete lockdown, which means our patients aren’t able to have any visitors at their bedside, including patients who are near death. Our role as nurses providing patient care has now evolved to include mother, sister, wife, and friend to each of these patients—sometimes in their final moments.

What are some ways we can support your industry right now?
I recently saw a quote from a doctor on social media saying we healthcare workers aren’t the frontliners anymore, and to consider us your last line of defense. This is so significant. This virus is spreading faster than people can comprehend. The biggest action you can take to help us is to stay at home to stop the spread. Use emergency centers for life or death emergencies only. Treat any symptom you may have as being positive and quarantine for two weeks. Another big thing that you can do is show your support. Do you have a friend working as a nurse? Give her a call, check in. You can send letters to your local hospitals to boost morale. A lot of people in my own community have been making handmade masks and caps for our facilities, which is so heartwarming and critically important given our increased need. Lastly—please wash your hands. Pretty please.

What’s been your biggest career milestone?
Last year I completed the emergency nurse internship program and got hired into not only the largest hospital in the Tampa bay area, but one of the top 10 busiest emergency trauma centers in the nation. This has always been a dream of mine—to not only work with children, but to work with the sickest of sick and to be part of a team that saves lives.

How has being a woman affected your professional experience?
I think there is still a social stigma that nursing is a woman’s profession, but being a woman who works in emergency nursing I still occasionally experience the “where’s the male doctor?” mentality and have had to develop thicker skin to handle it. We deal with aggression, traumas, drunks—situations most people never witness. There isn’t a female ER nurse out there who wouldn’t be able to deliver the same type of patient care our male counterparts can do.

What’s one thing you wish the general public knew right now?
Take this pandemic seriously; this virus is more contagious than the flu and without social distancing, proper hand hygiene and other proactive measures, we won’t be able to regain control over the situation. Also, gloves are silly and cross-contaminate—just wash your hands!

Career and/or life advice for other babes?
Find your why. Find your motivation and what inspires you to be your best self. Healthcare isn’t always a glorious field; you’ll have messy and stressful days. There will be times you lose your motivation, but just know it’s a lifelong learning experience and one bad day doesn’t dictate your capabilities.

Connect with Jessica:

Instagram / Email / Twitter

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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