Unprecedented times. However, nurses are prepared to respond. Nurses have a calling, and nurses are ready to step in and take action. However, these are unique times, particularly for new grads. I think it is important for them coming in to make sure that they link with their unit managers and charged nurses and preceptor to make sure that they are asking the right questions, to make sure that if there is any uncertainty, that they can ask for reeducation, for things that they may feel uncomfortable with, and making sure that every day is a new day, but it is ok to ask for help and guidance. Host you are in maryland. According to state health officials, an estimated half of the covid19 patients in in nursinge coming homes. How are those nurses prepared for what is ahead for them and what a deal with so far . Guest that is a really good question. You bring up a good point regarding our Nursing Homes and longterm care facilities. With the structure of those facilities alone, they pose unique challenges. What we have also seen are and accessted to ppe to necessary supplies needed for the protection of our nurses. Acuteas been seen both in care settings, communitybased facilities, but particularly in longterm care settings where we without population access to rooms where they can isolated units where covid19 patients could be cared for, that could pose unique challenges. Host you also have nurses who may be either educators or working in elective surgery, and now they are being moved into covid icu units. How does that add to the stress level for these nurses who are used to a certain type of training are certain type of nursing care and now dealing with critically all patients . Guest yes. Another great point that you raise, we have nurses that are working within certain specialties within the profession. And because of the number of covid cases covid19 cases being seen in many of our acutecare facilities, it has resulted in a redeployment of nurses to different areas. Areas in which they have not been educated, or areas in which they do not traditionally work. And what wecate for emphasize is the importance of the need to provide the necessary education and training for equipment that would be used for the care and treatment of a covid19 patient if one had not been assigned to that unit before. We encourage our nurses, certainly, to ask those questions of their hospital administrators to make sure that re is a comfort there to provide care. We want to make sure there is both a litany of care, but also safety. Safety of our nurses and also safety of our patients. Host lets get to our viewer calls. From santa ana, california. Good evening. Thank you. First of all, thank you for your service as a nurse. My daughterinlaw is a nurse. The work you guys do is amazing. My question has to do with something about what dr. Schaffner said before you came on. He was pretty much singing the praises of Wearing Masks. Wearing them when we are out and about. Masks work, why dont the Nurses Association and the doctors and the government just mandate that everybody wear the mask and send everybody else to work . To work, butt back the mask on, go to work. Guest you bring up a good point. There are multiple factors that certainly need to be considered. The wearing of a mask is one source of control and prevention of the spread of covid19, but then there is also physical distancing. Of mask serves the purpose control, meaning if one were to have the virus and there is a potential to spread it in the absence of symptoms, then the mask would serve as a barrier to keep one from spreading the talking, if there is a cough, a sneeze, a spray that may result from that. There is also physical distancing. When we look at the typical setup of offices or factories, typically, there is not that distance we generally keep within ourselves and other individuals. So there is some complexities that come with reopening, you know, workplaces, reopening retail stores, reopening parks. There is light years. We also have to think about protection of herbal herbal population. Of our vulnerable population. Not just individuals that are older, individuals that have chronic conditions or underlying medical conditions. Once they have this in place to make sure they are protected. We are talking with a registered nurse and a senior policy advisor for the american Nurses Association. We will get your reaction. One headline from nbc news. A nurse in the washington dc area saying she felt after 28 years as a bedside nurse she quit because she felt expendable. Stress nurses are facing on the frontlines. How do you deal with that . Under anrses are extraordinary amount of stress right now. On a typical day, there is a high level of stress that we undergo as we are caring for patients. Right now, we are caring for patients during times of pandemic. With that, we have issues that we have not dealt with for long periods of time in a in the profession, such as staffing, burnout, retention issues, depression, anxiety, suicides. All of that is compounded. Then when you look at the issues that we are dealing with, too, with access to appropriate ppe for our own safety and protection to do our jobs, it takes a toll. There is also trauma that nurses are feeling as a result of what they are seeing everyday, seeing patients dying, holding their hand while they are dying, asking for their families. Nurses are stepping in and serving the role of family members wally take their last breath. That takes a toll. Thus while they take their last breath. That takes a toll. Its hard. Host lets go to kim. Caller think you for having me. To ask one question. First of all, i want to thank you for everything you have done and everything you do. It would be very hard to be in when somebody is in a state like that and they have nobody else. You might be the only person that they do see. I would like to know, if somebodys isnt a medic somebody is asymptomatic, how long do they keep that . Guest what we know of covid19 is that it can take two to 14 days for one to show symptoms. However, when one does not have symptoms, then it is hard to you arether or not positive for covid19. Is, if yoummendation have been exposed or you suspect you have been exposed, then you go into the 14day quarantine or isolation. If you begin to show symptoms, then you can certainly contact your medical provider for a test. If you have been exposed, you can certainly contact your medical provider and let them know you have been exposed. They may give you instructions as to what to do. You watch and see what happens. What you can do at home if there are other family members that you live with. Then watch and wait. Make sure you are washing your hands, making sure you wear a homemade mask. That is a source of control should there be coughing or sneezing, juster in everyday conversation within close contact with individuals. Again, that serves as a barrier of protection. Is next in richmond, virginia. Good evening. Caller good evening. I was calling because i have concerns about i work in the nursing facility. Residents. Ds on with guest you bring up a really good point and something that american Nurses Association has advocated strongly for. With respect to hazard pay, we believe that hazard pay is acceptable for nurses given their work on the frontlines. Again, it is what we are advocating for for nurses. We believe that it is certainly something that given your bravery, given your compassion theou are serving on frontlines of this pandemic, we it is critically needed for those that are facing pressure in demands during his respond effort these response efforts. Masks,ou mentioned n95 the ppe, the heartbreaking stories of the nurses being the last person there if they are passing away. Is this going to change the profession . Has it changed the profession . Guest for the past 18 years, nurses have been identified as honored and ethical profession. That certainly is not changing. We are that seeing how always ready and stand ready to respond and how we have responded during this pandemic has certainly resulted in a newfound respect and appreciation for our profession. Nurses are being held as heroes. That out of this, there are going to be more people that field the call to response. As they learn more about the importance of what we do when terms of our response, all the years of health care, whether it is inpatient, whether it is in a community setting, whether it is at the state and local level, whether it is Public Health, nurses have a key role in protecting the Nations Health responding to during times of crisis. We will go to stephen in louisville, kentucky. His daughter is a nurse. Law is ay daughter in health care worker. Wondering host thats go to andrew from oklahoma, hello, andrew. Caller thank you so much for all that you do to help the people that are entering the hospital for a myriad of different conditions, including this coronavirus. Call where i was asking about the point that you kind of overbroad and without staying on the actual point. I think the point that he was making, we do not have any topdown leadership. We have a president who has basically said, hey, all 50 states, you are on your own. All 50 states, make your own rules. You guys want to open early . Great. You guys dont . And of course, other people are traveling between states. We do not have any topdown leadership. One of those things that should be topdown is a directive for pass some kindll of legislation that requires people to wear a mask. In oklahoma, it is kind of threat me republican red meat republican country. There is climate change, a lot of them think the coronavirus is a hoax. There are those protesting we want our freedoms back, with the fly, lets all go die. We need some kind of topdown leadership to say, you cannot be in a public space without having a mask on. Because the mask is to protect the people you are around. Everyone should be required to wear masks. I will give you an example. I have assisted walmart. Today, there were so many people in their, some i heard coughing in there, some i heard had no facial coverings on. This should be something where people where stores are not allowing people in. Costco is correct on this. You do not come in the store unless your face is covered, because you could eat an anmptomatic you could be asymptomatic carrier and spreader to everyone in the community. Host we will get a response. Thank you for your phone call. Guest you bring up some really good points. Sharing ist you are certainly important. The only way we are going to and slow theurve spread of coronavirus is for all of us to work together. By all of us working together, that means yes, we are all Wearing Masks as source control. We are all practicing physical distancing, but most importantly, we are staying home. Right now, we do not have heard immunity or massive unity herd immunity or mess immunity. Ss immunity. Because of that, that is why there are mandates in place however it is state by state, and as you know, there are states that made the decision to reopen. Many of which are reopening too soon. However, having said that, using a mask as a form of source control is essential at this point. We also need to make sure that we have an adequate amount of tests. We need to know who is positive and we need to be able to have appropriate surveillance and Public Health structures in place so we can identify those who have been exposed, notify and contact them, and make sure they undergo the mandatory 14day quarantine to prevent exposure to other individuals. You bring up some very excellent points. Host kendra, what have you seen as a registered nurse on the bedside . Guest my fulltime role right now is policy advisor at the american Nurses Association. We have state and local constituents we work with. What we are hearing about is the lack of protection that our nurses have in terms of having the appropriate ppe in order to protect themselves well they are doing their jobs. A strong advocacy of nurses to encourage individuals to stay home unless we need to get essential items from the grocery store, unless you are getting essential items from the pharmacy, or unless it is the need for you to go out to seek medical care. Nurses are seeing patients coming in who are very sick. We are hearing stories about still not having enough tests that are available. There are individuals who have not been tested and who are at home providing selfcare. We are hearing now more stories about children who have been infected. Every day, the situation is fluid. Were learning more, things are changing as we go. Nurses are also hearing about concerns about their own health and wellbeing with respect to their families. Carried covid19 to their loved ones. We are also hearing about the mental trauma and the stress nurses are dealing with right now as they respond. We are concerned about the lasting effects of that. To that point, do you feel hospitals are doing what they should be doing to deal with the nurses stress levels . They are the frontline provider care to those patients. Guest we are advocating strongly that all organizations have the necessary support systems in place for their nurses. Not just nurses, but for all staff. All staff play a role. When we look at the entire in the responsem to covid19. And advocaterage for is to have systems and structures in place so nurses are protected both in physical protection with respect to ppe, but also for Mental Health and wellbeing. Host kendra mcmillan. The senior policy advisor and registered nurse with the american Nurses Association. Joining us from her herrom stay at home to save at home Public Health advisory. This is half an hour