Men In Nursing 2020
Renato P. Regalado, Critical Care, Methodist Hospital of Southern California
Looking back on this year, what have been the biggest changes in your practice?
My experience has included challenges and rewarding opportunities. For example, our nursing division has been working with local government and health officials to develop protocols to protect our community from COVID-19.
Tell us about the most inspirational thing you’ve experienced as a nurse during this pandemic.
We had a COVID-19 patient whose family lived in Asia. She had been ventilated in critical care and failed multiple weaning trials. On one of her coherent days, she wrote on her white board, “Let me go.” However, her children wanted to continue aggressive measures to prolong her life. I explained her wishes to her children, who ultimately chose to shift the focus of her care to alleviating her suffering. We facilitated an online video conference to enable the family to reconnect with their mother. This experience reminds me that we are trying to heal patients emotionally and spiritually, as well as physically.
