Anushka Patel and Maurkesha Young

Young Alumni Blog

In the Nursing Young Alumni Blog, recent Ohio State graduates chronicle their experiences as they venture into nursing for the first time. Maurkesha Young and Anushka Patel blog frequently, and other guest bloggers are invited to submit as well. You can read their adventures and musings at u.osu.edu/nursingalumniblog.

 

Nursing Through the Pandemic: How Things Have Changed in the Past Year

by Anushka Patel (’17)

Anushka PatelThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought change to all aspects of life. As a nurse working through the pandemic, I have had to remodel my approach to every professional responsibility I have. The most evident changes include adapting to numerous hospital protocols, constant personal protective equipment use, sanitation requirements, patient visitor limitations and social distancing in the workplace. The pandemic has led me to appreciate the importance of verbal communication when delivering patient care, especially when caring for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing. My coworkers and I felt it was important now more than ever to learn basic phrases in languages we encounter most with our patient population, including Spanish, Somali and American Sign Language, to ensure we were maintaining appropriate communication with our patients and their families. Utilizing technology has also helped resolve communication obstacles inflicted by the pandemic. Adapting to the changes the pandemic has produced continues to be challenging, but they have also led me to incorporate more creativity in my patient care that I hope to continue beyond the pandemic.

 

Honor a Mentor – A Nurse Who Has Made an Impact in Your Life

by Maurkesha Young (’20)

Maurkesha YoungHaving a nursing mentor is something that people had mentioned would help with the stress of being a new nurse, but I never really understood the impact a mentor could have until I became lucky enough to find one. My senior year of college, I was set up with Audra Hanners as my advisor for my precepting rotation. She checked in on me numerous times, making sure I had the opportunity to talk about things that were causing me stress. After my preceptorship ended, Audra continued to be a resource for me. Audra has been a role model, friend and mentor to me in a time when I needed her most. I hope that I can be a mentor to someone as she has been a mentor to me. Without her, I would not be the nurse I am today, and I am so grateful for her. Mentors truly are great resources to have, and I am very lucky that Audra is mine.

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