Working in Unprecedented Times

Book excerpt: Prior to 2020, the word "pandemic" was not in our daily vocabulary and typically referenced the 1918 flu, or the bubonic plague. With the sudden onset of COVID-19 everything changed.The world was completely unprepared for the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and no profession more than the healthcare industry. Policies, procedures, and standards for care changed overnight. Fear was rampant. The world as we knew it slowly crumbled.Caitlyn is a healthcare worker who was in a hospital setting during 2020 and experienced first hand the difficulties the pandemic brought to the medical profession. Many of these difficulties were detrimental to worker's mental health. She has made it her mission to bring to light the experiences of healthcare workers through collecting personal stories. This collection focuses on the youngest workers in America's workforce in order to highlight the potential long term effects of a pandemic on the healthcare industry including staffing shortages, worker burnout, and more.Although hailed as heroes early in the pandemic, there has not been adequate support or help for those with mental health challenges in our workforce. The people most affected by the pandemic are attempting to reintegrate to daily life after years of isolation and devastation. Three years later, the rest of the world has mostly returned to "business as normal". This serves as a reminder to the world that this is not over for healthcare workers. We are not the same as we were. We will not forget. These are our stories.