Chief Nursing Officer: Our nurses shine in COVID-19 response

When the World Health Organization (WHO) designated 2020 as The Year of the Nurse and Midwife in honor of the 200^th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, no one could have predicted it would coincide with an unprecedented global pandemic, COVID-19. However, the convergence of these two events should not be lost on us. Now, more than ever, 2020 has brought into focus just how important nurses are across the world and here in Texas.

As a nurse with experience in emergency management and preparedness, I’ve helped hospitals navigate a series of catastrophic events – some natural, some man-made. I was on duty in New York when Hurricane Sandy ravaged the Northeast in 2012, and I cared for victims on and after 9/11. Most recently, I helped guide MD Anderson through Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath.

And now, as I see the crises faced by my colleagues nationally and the struggles we face here in Houston during the coronavirus pandemic, I’m reminded of the way nurses always rise to the occasion, charging on, ready to fight another day.

While our lives have changed, the resilience and resolve displayed by our nurses has not. Since Nightingale first summarized and published the principles of modern professional nursing, the world has depended upon nurses for their ability to combine and balance technical expertise with the highest level of compassion. That balance allows nurses to adapt to change and work under pressure, while guiding the patient to achieve their health care goals. This time is no different.

Nurses have many roles during COVID-19 response

Across MD Anderson, our team of 3,900+ nurses have embraced the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented. Every day, I witness our nurses choose to be empowered by factual information as they navigate this uncharted territory along the front lines of patient care. More than 140 nurses eagerly volunteered to join an interdisciplinary team that provides care for our COVID-19-positive cancer patients, dedicating themselves to helping people in their time of need. Others volunteered to work at MD Anderson testing locations, providing reassurance to patients and colleagues during this time of uncertainty.

And when MD Anderson, like many other institutions, made the tough decision to restrict all visitors, our nurses stepped in to provide the human connection that patients need to help them heal.

Our nurse educators have worked days, nights and weekends to provide in-depth training to frontline staff on how to care for COVID-19 positive oncology patients while maintaining safety by properly donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE). Similarly, our nurse researchers have helped patients maintain their adherence to clinical trials protocols. Others have worked behind the scenes to create innovative tools and processes for ensuring we have enough staff across the hospital.