In the OR with COVID-19
Apr 9, 2020
These days, Elizabeth Bancroft is pulling long shifts as an operating room nurse at a hospital in the Indianapolis Community Health Network system. She’s as likely to be scrubbing in to assist an emergency surgery as she is to be intubating a growing number of COVID-19 patients.
The 2017 Xavier biology graduate started out doing immunological research after graduation, but soon realized she wanted to be in the room with patients, not in the lab. So she completed an accelerated nursing program and began work as an emergency room nurse at University Hospital in Cincinnati, then transferred to Indianapolis for her residency, because working in the operating room was more appealing to her.
Her timing could not have been better. Starting her OR residency last summer gave her time to gain the experience she needed to prepare for the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic this spring. Once it hit, she began getting pulled in multiple directions as the hospital’s needs began changing.
“As of recently, my job has changed in light of the virus,” she said in an email. “I am still circulating and scrubbing in the OR, but I am now also the designated intubation team RN for the hospital. This means I get a call whenever a COVID-19 patient needs to go on a ventilator, and the anesthesiologist and I put them on the vent.
"We also respond immediately to any COVID-19 patient that codes. We have implemented this team in order to reduce the exposure of workers to the virus. I unfortunately get to see every day first-hand how this virus has infiltrated my community. It is a stressful position, but I am very happy to do my part as a health-care worker.”
She said it's impossible to be prepared for something of this magnitude, but she finds herself relying on her Xavier education for the strength she needs to continue the challenging work of caring for patients.
"A liberal arts and Jesuit education has definitely helped me tap into an even deeper compassion toward these patients," she said. "I am often the last thing they see (only my eyes, as I am covered in PPE, not a pleasant sight) before being sedated. Many are not recovering after this point. It makes me so sad their families can’t be with them, but I hold their hand and smile, hoping my eyes convey the smile as I say a quick prayer."
The stress she and her team are experiencing has to do with supplies—or lack thereof—to fight the coronavirus. They are always looking for more ventilators from other hospitals in the system, and are resorting to other methods such as putting multiple people on a single ventilator. They wear surgical masks over their N95 masks—so the N95s can be reused.
Her team is focused on protecting staff and providing education, resources, support and daily updates on the situation as it unfolds. They are following strict guidelines for using protective gear to ensure the safety of the staff. But still, she said, the virus has a way of slipping through.
“I am witnessing coworkers and surgeons get sick and test positive,” she said. “We have now dedicated six departments to COVID-19 patients. It is steadily increasing. Three weeks ago, we had our first patient. It’s vital to stay at home and it truly upsets me when people are not taking this seriously. This is going to get much worse, but at the same time it is vital we stay strong and positive during these times.”
By France Sloat, Office of Marketing and Communications
Read more stories about Xavier on the Front Lines of COVID-19.