The U.S. recently passed the unwelcome one-year anniversary of Covid-19. While the actual arrival date of the novel coronavirus will likely never be known, March 2020 was when infections spread to the point of widespread alarm, triggering a full year (and counting) of social distancing, mask mandates, overflowing ICUs and exhausted nurses.
In the time since, the nurses in the CareerStaff community — and around the world — have stepped up in amazing, inspiring ways. In doing so, they risked their own health and wellbeing, as they’ve done so often before in their commitment to their jobs and the patients who rely on them.
As we head into May 2021 and Nurses Week 2021, we wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on some of the inspirational stories of nurses who worked so hard during the past year. These inspiring stories come straight from our network, as told to us by a few recent CareerStaff Clinicians of the Month.
Inspirational Stories Of Nurses During COVId-19
When the serious effects of the Covid-19 pandemic began to set in last year, Kacie, a CareerStaff Clinician of the Month for July 2020, came up with a creative way to deal with some of the stress. A Michigan-based CNA whose favorite moment of the day is when she can make her patients laugh, Kacie told us the story of her motivational art.
“I have completed a drawing, live on the facility TV program, each month since the start of the Covid-19 quarantine,” she recalled. “The first drawing was such a success at the facility, they contracted me to complete a motivational art piece on the entryway sidewalk for the staff to see upon entering the building.” You can read more about Kacie here.
“I have observed such tenderness in my co-workers for their patients,” said Brandee, a Minnesota-based LPN and December 2020 Clinician of the Month, about the experience of working during a pandemic. “There are many kind and lovely people at this facility, and it has been an honor to be a nurse here at this time in a pandemic.” Read more about Brandee here.
Stephanie, a Florida-based CNA and one of our CareerStaff Clinicians of the Month for January 2021, has taken inspiration from the challenges of Covid-19 — and the teamwork that it’s brought out among nurses and clinicians.
“Especially with COVID, I feel like we are becoming more appreciated and valued by society for our worth and our diligence as health care professionals in any role we possess; not just doctors, or nurses, but aides as well,” she told us. Read more about Stephanie here.
For Jenessa, a registered nurse and one of the CareerStaff Clinicians of the Month for June 2020, the pandemic has also provided some inspiration and motivation amid almost unbelievable challenges and concerns.
“I am very encouraged and thankful for the immense support friends, family and strangers have extended during the last months,” she told us last year. “I think people always supported nurses and healthcare workers, but the recent level of support gives you extra wind under your sails.”
She went on to describe some of the forms that support would take. “The meals churches would drop off, the boxes of goodies for our team from friends, the messages of support, all of it means a lot when you are digging deep during a crisis,” she said. “It fills up your emotional reserves when you start feeling like they are getting empty.”
As a relatively new RN, Jenessa also had important advice to offer new nurses who were starting off their careers on the Covid-19. front lines. “Speaking from experience, don’t give up, don’t doubt yourself,” she told us. “Just move on and find your place. It’s worth it.” Read more about Jenessa here.
Covid-19 Resources from CareerStaff
Looking For More Inspirational Stories Of Nurses?
We love our nurses, and we’re all about helping them discover new sources of inspiration wherever they can be found — a more difficult task than ever in the Covid-19 era! In case you missed it, we shared some motivational nursing quotes during the early months of the pandemic last year, and of course, those inspirational words rings just as true as ever.
And if you have any of your own inspirational stories to share, we’d love to hear them! You can find us on Twitter or Facebook communities.
And if you’re interested in helping fight Covid-19 where nurses are most needed, you can trust CareerStaff Unlimited to connect you with a facility that’s in need of a skilled professional like you. You can read more about the benefits of working a CareerStaff travel assignment here, or find an assignment now.