Alex Magdaleno: It’s Alex Magdaleno with KVCR. In this brief discussion, Angelica Macias, a student at Cal Baptist University, tells us about her nursing school experience as she pursues nursing for her career. Hi, Angelica, thank you so much for talking to us. Would you mind giving us some insight on where you were in your career during the COVID 19 pandemic?
Angelica Macias: When COVID hit, I was working as a general manager at my local Juice Bar.
Alex Magdaleno: Wow, that's amazing. Now, considering your job was significantly different from nursing when did you decide to work in the healthcare field and when did you begin nursing school?
Angelica Macias: I decided to work in the healthcare field around high school, I decided to pursue the scientific route, and I didn't start nursing school until about two years ago it was January of 2023.
Alex Magdaleno: So, it sounds like you've had some nursing school experience for quite some time now. How has the nursing school experience opened your eyes to the reality of becoming a nurse?
Angelica Macias: Nursing school has definitely been shaping me into the nurse I'm going to become, especially with learning new skills like assessing and monitoring patients, knowing how to treat a disease, looking for signs and symptoms, as well as Safe Medication Administration, everything comes to life, especially when I go to clinical when I'm shadowing a nurse and just getting hands on experience at bedside with live patients.
Alex Magdaleno: The passion you share for this interest really is impactful for our society. Did the pandemic impact your decision to pursue nursing as a career?
Angelica Macias: The pandemic did not impact my decision to pursue nursing. This is what I wanted to pursue for many years, and I've been dedicated to my goal. But it did open my eyes to the demand and need for nurses.
Alex Magdaleno: Very nice. However, I'd like to elaborate just a little bit more. What exactly was it about the growing need for nurses that grew your desire for healthcare?
Angelica Macias: Although I was already pursuing nursing before the pandemic, it actually fueled my decision to becoming a nurse. I always wanted to be involved in helping during a crisis or state of emergency, like the COVID pandemic. I just felt that there was something more important I could do that would be fulfilling to me. Personally, just being involved in the field of first responders is something I have dreamt about.
Alex Magdaleno: What do you most look forward to in the nursing field that you think you'll experience?
Angelica Macias: I definitely look forward to working in the emergency department or in the intensive care unit. I would just like to gain foundational of skills and be able to react quickly to emergent situations.
Alex Magdaleno: Thank you so much for that conversation for our listeners here at KVCR 91.9. Up next a brief discussion with the director of Loma Linda Children's Hospital's Operating Room, Linda Puma. Hi Linda, with your nursing experience, would you mind telling our listeners where you were in your career when the COVID-19 pandemic began?
Linda Puma: Hi Alex, yes, sure I'll be happy to talk about that experience. I was actually a director here at Loma Linda Children's Hospital in the perioperative department.
Alex Magdaleno: Now this is a question regarding the surge of COVID patients coming into the hospital. Did you experience a change in the culture, or were there any differences to the operating room's daily procedures during the pandemic?
Linda Puma: There were many, many criteria that came into play where we had to change protocols and ensure that when we did have a case, that our nurses were safe. And I have to be honest with you, the experience was challenging. People were scared. Protocols were challenging because we were getting information minute by minute, and we would make one protocol in the morning and have to change it by the afternoon. And so it was quite an experience for all of us.
Alex Magdaleno: Linda, as the director of the Children's Operating Room here at Loma Linda Hospital, did you notice a difference within your staff's demeanor between the time before the pandemic followed by the time after?
Linda Puma: What I had found was that there was just so much uncertainty... They were coming to work, whether or not they were going to be working that day or not working that day, which led then to people getting opportunities other places. There was a lot of opportunity for traveling because other States needed help in their areas, so we lost quite a bit of staff to traveling positions. So, it took some time after that for us to be able to realign our needs and having people come in that were permanent staff.
Alex Magdaleno: I apologize for the disruption. Linda, I know that I've asked for the changes you've seen before and after the pandemic, but I was wondering if you can tell us a little more on what happened during the pandemic.
Linda Puma: During the pandemic, it was really challenging, because there were a lot of different things that we had to do, as far as downscaling, identifying what we're going to do with our staff, because we're the operating room, we're so specialized, and they were just so bombarded in the inpatient world.
Alex Magdaleno: Thank you so much for clarifying that I'm very curious to hear how things are now post COVID.
Linda Puma: Five years later, in my work experience and the people that I work directly with, I would have to say it's very much aligned with where we were before pandemic, but I can't say that for sure for other areas of the hospital that were hit harder than we were.
Alex Magdaleno: Thank you for the discussion Linda. Folks, you've heard it here. If you have a passion for healthcare, there will always be a need for more heroes. This is Alex Magdaleno with KVCR, signing off.