20 Frontline Medical Workers Share What It’s Really Like In Hospitals Now

The count has passed 200,000 since a few days ago. Patients continue to flood into the ER while there are not even enough testing kits for those who have recovered – they simply walk out after the following CDC regulation on how many days they’ve quarantined themselves.

Yet, it was these people who fight on the frontline who have to make the most sacrifice. What are healthcare workers seeing right now?

Me after sitting 12 hours under the heat to screen every employee entering the building.

We don’t have enough PPE, we’re all exhausted, none of the employees are even allowed to get themselves tested.

I’m a physician assistant for nursing homes and I fear for my two kids. Every day, I undress in the garage and head straight to the shower and make sure I’m scrubbed clean.

N95 is out. So, we got these overkill masks that we can barely breathe and speak in.

I can only be thankful with our supplies and as a nurse anesthesiologist, I have to have this on me all day.

In Atlanta, we’re running out of PPE and reuse so many things to the point that we’re hiding them to protect ourselves.

Someone donated reusable cloth masks today and I took this selfie excitedly. This is the only ‘PPE’ we have.

I’m a nursing assistant in the ER, bought my own googles and wore two masks so my N95 can be reused. I just want to cry because I’m so overwhelmed with the situation.

These dots of rainbow colors are to be worn to indicate we don’t have symptoms.

We are just thankful to be here and be able to help people. I’ve witnessed patients dying as they FaceTime their family, but it’s still sad to have to be in my full gear.

I’ve worked 50 hours this week. We’re all just so exhausted.

Things are changing in the nursing home in Ohio here. I’m tired and hope this will end soon just so they can eat with their family again.

I work in the ICU and had spent 13 hours caring eight patients on ventilators. Only five left when I was done with my shift.

We’re the tent crew group and help patients 6 days a week. We’re all in this together!

I’m a respiratory therapist and my desperate attempt to stay positive is decorating these brown bags of supposedly single-use items that are now being reused.

The hard thing about being an ICU RN? It’s that critically ill patients will most likely die, alone, surrounded by us in blue suits instead of their family.

We have to wear layers of PPE and always sweat profusely with them on, but we can only be grateful to even have them.

This is after 45 minutes seeing a patient in ICU. We are running out of PPE and soon patients either won’t have people caring beside them or we’ll have to risk it all.

I send my kids to my parents’ because of family health issues since two weeks ago and I haven’t seen them since. The floor I work on is now entirely dedicated to the pandemic. Everyone is tense and this is just my first year.

I’m an ICU nurse in one of the state’s largest hospital and we’re given only one mask and one paper bag to reuse until they completely break.