By Olivia Sugg, Staff Writer

You pull under the white tent in the urgent care parking lot and call to let them know you are there. They use the phrase “deep nasal swab” and before you know it a nurse comes out to the car and is performing a COVID test that feels about like a pipe cleaner being shoved into your brain.

This is something that thousands of Outer Banks residents have experienced over the last nine months, but has anyone thought about the person on the other side of this interaction? Shannon Duff (RN BSN) gives insight on what it is like to be a nurse during these unprecedented times during this conversation with Nighthawk News.

Q: Could you tell me your job title and a little bit about what you do?

A: “I am a Registered Nurse and I work for the Outer Banks Hospital. I mainly work at the Urgent Care in Kitty Hawk, but I occasionally float to the ER or the Urgent Care in Nags Head.”

Q: How many years have you been working in health care?

A: “I have been a nurse for a little over seven years. My nursing background is in emergency, trauma, and urgent care.”

Q:  How has working in a health care setting changed since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and what new challenges have you faced?

A: “Although it may seem like COVID has been around a long time, it is still very new. Working in a healthcare facility during a pandemic means we are constantly adjusting to new policies and procedures. What we do one day at work might be completely different from what we do the next. We have to be able to take it day by day and do the best with what we have. Some of our changes this year have included putting up a tent in the parking lot to perform tests outside, creating designated isolation rooms for symptomatic patients, screening patients upon entering the building, and symptom checking for every team member.”

Q: Approximately how many COVID-19 tests do you perform each day?

A: “The numbers have varied quite a bit since March. During peak summer season, we would average about 75 tests a day. On our busier days, we would do around 120 tests just at the Kitty Hawk Urgent Care. Those numbers fell drastically after summer, but now with the increase in cases, we are doing about 50-70 tests each day.”

Q: What do you do to maintain such a positive attitude with the additional stress of the COVID-19 pandemic?

A: “I could never do this job without the support of my friends, family and coworkers. Regardless of the pandemic, nursing is a difficult job. With the added stress of COVID-19, we need support now more than ever. At work, we encourage each other, laugh together, and offer a shoulder to cry on when needed. These difficult times have brought our staff closer than ever, and I truly think of them as family. I have also had many of my friends and family reach out to me to check in and make sure I’m doing OK. It really means a lot knowing that people are thinking of us on the frontlines, and recognizing the work that we are doing to fight this pandemic.”

Q: Are you nervous about contracting COVID while at work? If so, what do you do to put your mind at ease?

A: “Yes, of course. We all have family at home that we want to keep safe and healthy, so knowing that we could potentially bring COVID home with us is unsettling. However, The Outer Banks Hospital has done an amazing job keeping our teams safe. We take our temperatures before every shift, wear our masks at all times, and are well supplied with proper PPE. At no point during this pandemic I felt uncomfortable at work. I know I am extremely lucky to be able to say that.”

Q:  What do you do to keep nervous patients at ease?

A: “Everyone has different views and feelings toward COVID. It is our job to be empathetic with our patients and to listen to their concerns. If a patient is scared about the test, we take time to explain exactly how it is performed and what to expect. If a patient is worried about contracting COVID while in our facility, we explain our thorough screening process and cleaning routines. We have also been able to provide patients with resources from the Dare County Health Department for any questions or concerns that we might not be able to address.”

 Q: Is there anything else you would like to add about working at a healthcare facility during the COVID-19 pandemic?

A: “Despite all of the changes this year, the one thing that hasn’t changed is my love for my job. Even with the added stress, fear and frustration, I am grateful to still have my health and the ability to care for my patients. I think this pandemic has really taught us to not take that for granted.”

Sophomore Olivia Sugg can be reached at [email protected].