Jacquelyn Brito
Family Medicine Doctor
University Medical Center
El Paso, TX
As a family medicine doctor, Jacquelyn
Brito educates patients on how to keep
safe, sees patients for acute medical
issues, and sees patients via telemedicine as
well. “As a whole, we are screening for possible COVID-19 patients daily,” she
shares. “A few days a week I am in charge of the COVID-19 tents where my
team and I screen anyone with a cough or any respiratory symptoms or fevers
for COVID-19, and we test if need be.”
With the daily changes at the clinic, Brito remains adaptable and ready for
anything. “Being a community doctor is very challenging but it’s a good
challenge,” she states. “The best part of working in the health care industry for
me is the opportunity to build relationships with people at all stages of their life.
I love the diversity of the medicine I get to practice. Medicine is always
changing and I think it keeps you on your toes which I enjoy as well. I also love
the fact that I can relate to my patents. I know they feel comfortable with me
because we speak the same language and have the same culture.”
Dianna Cervantes
Registered Radiology and
CT Technologist
Working in multiple emergency rooms on
12-hour shifts, Dianna Cervantes’ role is to perform
either a Chest X-ray or a CT scan of the chest and/or any studies ordered by
the physician. With the Covid-19 virus aggressively attacking the respiratory
system, she scans the patient’s chest and checks on any abnormality or
progress within the lungs.
In the healthcare industry for 19 years, Cervantes has witnessed trauma
in the emergency room to gunshot wounds and more. However, the current
pandemic has been different, especially at home. “The hardest thing is that I
have not been kissing or hugging my kids as much because I work six or seven
days a week,” she shares. “Therefore, I am highly exposed.”
Cervantes keeps her anxiety level down by focusing on the good, for
example when the patient is still breathing and has good vital signs, that
is always a great sign for her.
“Healthcare workers are exposed to many infections and viruses every
day but what keeps us healthy is the love for our profession and patients,
the standard precautions come naturally with it,” she shares. “My kids are
my biggest motivation, I teach them to pursue a career that they end up falling
in love.”
Nallely Garcia-Ramos
Registered Nurse
Texas Health Presbyterian
Hospital of Dallas
Dallas, TX
Currently working as both a staff nurse,
working bedside with direct patient care and
overseeing the department as a charge nurse,
Nallely Garcia-Ramos is a first-generation college graduate and you can find her
at the Emergency Room day shift, which runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Like many,
she has not been able to see most of her family for fear of exposing them. She
has managed to see her parents at a distance to warrant they have what they
need during this quarantine time, especially since both of her parents have
health issues – diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol. Here are five
steps for keeping fear and anxiety in check. “The first step that is very important
to me is prayer,” she shares. “I cannot start my day without prayer. Step two
is remembering why I was called to be a nurse. Step three is acknowledging my
training and skills of practice. Step four is recalling going through a similar scenario
when I took care of Ebola exposed patients. Step five is falling back on my
faith and trusting God will direct my path.”
Berta Veloz
Registered Nurse, ICU
Methodist Dallas Medical
Center
A nurse for almost nine months, Berta Veloz works
in the designated COVID-19 ICU at Methodist Dallas Medical Center and
is responsible for two criticall y i l l p atients per shift. This typically
includes patients on a ventilator or patients at risk of being placed on a
ventilator due to their deteriorating status. Veloz has witnessed just how deadly
this virus can be and the desperation families feel for their loved ones. “In the
ICU we get to see the worst-case scenario when it comes to someone’s health,
and it is difficult because I go into work every day knowing that we are still
trialing different treatments across the country,” Veloz shares. “We don’t have
all the answers, and it can be scary but definitely encourages us to do the best
we can for those affected.”
Today the environment of the entire hospital has shifted, and she feels
extremely sympathetic for families unable to see their loved ones while they are
ill. “The ICU can be a very high-stress environment so I am always looking for
ways to help me keep my own anxiety in check,” she states. “I make sure to stay
informed about the latest COVID-19 updates, but I never have the news
playing all day.”
Here are five ways she keeps her anxiety in check: praying, talking to
family, talking with friends and peers, working out, and spending time with her
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