Before heading to her night shift at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly last week, Krystal Horchuck listened to her three young children laughing with her husband in another room.
The sound of her happy family — the people she loves most — are how the Burlington County nurse copes with the anxiety that comes with being a healthcare worker during the global coronavirus pandemic.
“I think I have a different level of anxiety than I’ve ever had,” Horchuck said. “I’ve been having headaches everyday, not sleeping. I’m scared to bring [coronavirus] home to our kids.”
Regardless, she’s committed to helping her patients.
“Even though I feel an overwhelming heaviness as I walk through the ER ... I know I have committed myself to be there for the community, my peers, my friends, my second family,” she said.
Nurses across the state spoke with NJ Advance Media about being on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19. While most New Jerseyans have been ordered to work from home, healthcare professionals are among those who not only must continue to clock in, but who see the virus first-hand.
As of Saturday, the coronavirus has infected more than 8,800 New Jerseyans and killed 108 residents.
Megan Harning, an intensive care unit nurse at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, said she has been limiting her exposure to others. She stopped caring for her grandmother, shifting those responsibilities to her father.
Another challenge for Harning: toeing the line between keeping her family informed about the virus’ seriousness, but not scaring them.
“It’s like you’re dancing this line of not trying to panic people, but trying to educate people,” Harning said.
In Horchuck’s home, she and her husband, a nurse at a Philadelphia hospital, are taking extra precautions to keep their three kids safe.
While Horchuck says they have always been careful about not tracking germs into their house after work, they’re now more vigilant than ever.
Horchuck’s new routine: Strip off her scrubs after work, immediately throw them into a washing machine outside her home and run to her upstairs shower.
For the foreseeable future, she says her elderly parents won’t be visiting.
“I haven’t kissed my kids,” she said.
Concerns among the medical community have only intensified following reports of personal protective equipment shortages. Last week, representatives from six labor unions called on the Murphy administration to “ensure all healthcare facilities have the supplies, training materials, and staffing support they need to reduce everyone’s risk of exposure.”
The workers’ fears are far from unfounded. The New Jersey Doctor-Patient Alliance told NJ Advance Media a number of nurses and doctors have either tested positive, or were in quarantine with suspected cases of COVID-19.
New Jersey nurses are also endlessly trying to keep up with the medical community’s evolving understanding of the virus. They feel like they’re entering uncharted territory.
Shazam Bacchus is an intensive care unit nurse in Newark caring for coronavirus patients during the pandemic.Provided by Shazam Baccus
The closest parallel to the coronavirus was the Ebola scare in 2014, said Shazam Bacchus, an intensive care unit nurse at University Hospital in Newark, who is treating COVID-19 patients.
But the short length of the Ebola scare, and the fact that there were only 11 cases in the U.S., sets the coronavirus apart, Bacchus said.
“People weren’t really worried,” he said. “Everyone is very concerned right now."
Due to the nature of COVID-19, Harning said it’s difficult for nurses and patients to communicate. Patients are frequently intubated and don’t have family members to advocate for them during their stays because of visitor bans at hospitals.
Some are able to point at letters and words on a communication board, but many cannot, Harning said.
Doctors and nurses are providing as much communication to family members as possible via phone calls, but it’s not a substitute for face-to-face interaction, Harning says.
“That’s the scary thing, these patients are sedated, but they still are aware. They’re not knocked out, so they know they’re alone in a room and they hear a lot of noises, and they have nobody who can go in there and hold their hand,” Harning said.
With no end in sight for the virus’ spread, fears are further compounded, said Dr. Aline Holmes, an associate professor at Rutgers School of Nursing. The peak of coronavirus cases in three of New Jersey’s hardest-hit counties could be three weeks away, state officials have said.
“This is an anxious time for everyone, including nurses. We all came into this profession for our desire to help others,” Dr. Holmes said. “Human resources departments are pulling a lot of resources together.”
Most hospitals are offering stress management and meditation classes to help physicians and nurses cope with coronavirus-related stress, Holmes said. Social workers, psychologists and clergy are also on hand.
Despite challenges, all three nurses said they were committed to their patients and are leaning on each other for support.
“Sometimes going into work and seeing all the signs up can be nerve-racking, but I feel supported by my coworkers and staff,” Horchuck said. “We will get through this, we just have to take it one day at a time. We’ve been trained for this.”
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