THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC PEDIATRICIANS
Fall 2020 Issue
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The New Normal
By Jenny Impemba, OMS-IV
Nova Southeastern University
Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
As I approached the front doors of the hospital in August, with my own cotton mask, I followed the other healthcare workers to learn the new procedure for entering the facility. They formed a line to be greeted by an employee with an armful of surgical masks and a thermometer. Once my temperature was taken, I was told to switch to the hospital-approved surgical mask and to pick up the colored sticker of the day to identify me as healthy. Since I am a forth year medical student, I was at a new hospital for the month for my audition rotation and I felt more out of place than usual. This was my first day back after being taken out of rotations in March. It seemed like everyone had fallen into this routine of the “new normal,” but it was abnormal to me.
I had been isolating myself for the past four months. Although there were a lot of Zoom and Facetime calls with friends and family, I had very minimal in-person contact with anyone, except for my husband and my dog. I found myself smiling at people who walked by, but then quickly realizing that no one could see it. Every time I introduced myself, I reached my hand for a handshake, but my arm ended up awkwardly hovering in front of my body when I realized that it wasn’t allowed anymore. During the end of the first week, I was at lunch with a couple of residents, socially distanced of course, and one of the residents that I have previously met re-introduced herself to me. She didn’t realize that we had met a couple of days ago because she had only seen me with a mask on. I have always been known as the “girl who is always smiling.” How was I supposed to make an impression at this audition if no one knew what I looked like?
After the first week, my nerves calmed a little as I fell into this new routine. I realized that although things were different, there were still a lot of things that were the same. We weren’t allowed in potential COVID positive rooms and N95s were mandatory in the OR. However, for most of the rooms, we just had to wear a mask, eye protection, and gloves. I was back in the pediatrics world and able to care for sick kids just like I have done before the COVID era. I am still able to be a lifelong learner, which is what I signed up to do. This experience has also taught me that your personality can go a long way. Although people couldn’t see half of my face, I continued to be myself. I continued to be empathic and compassionate towards everyone I encountered, and I was able to show off my knowledge from the months of endless studying.
It is nerve wracking being in the hospital and having the risk of potentially contracting COVID-19. However, there is a risk everywhere you go, even outside of the hospital. I signed up to help those in need. We each just have to do our part in staying safe. I wear masks everywhere I go, and I wash my hands or use hand sanitizer after touching anything. I take my scrubs off and shower once I get home to decrease the chance of spreading any potential germs to my husband. Life has to move on at some point. Medicine is always changing so we have to always be ready to adapt to the new normal.
