My advice to teachers as a nurse on the front line

“I am totally preparing to get infected this fall” is what I hear teachers saying right now, and I don’t blame them. It actually makes me a bit sick to my stomach, because it’s the same thought myself and all my coworkers have had since March, and I wouldn’t wish that dread on anyone.

It seems however that the return to school for most of you this fall is inevitable, so... When you return you will be met with an abundance of anxieties, “what ifs,” overwhelming and likely daily policy changes, “you’ve been exposed” phone calls, and just some general distracting PPE discomforts. I’m hoping I can help you minimize some of those worries before you return so you could maybe feel more prepared and able to focus your energy on teaching your kids.

Before covid patients began swarming our ICU, masking became a requirement, and it was a challenge, even for healthcare workers who regularly wear PPE. So I can only imagine how challenging it will be for school staff and students to adjust to constant masking. Then when covid arrived It was also incredibly difficult and distracting to try to ignore the fact that the virus was on us. So I followed a routine of things during and after my shift that would make me feel as comfortable as possible, allowing me to stay focused on treating the patients, rather than being distracted with worry about getting infected.

1. Stop bringing your shoes from work into the house. I changed my sneakers before and after my shift, at my car in the parking lot and put them in my trunk in a shoe box size Rubbermaid container. They barely saw the light of day. Or at least keep them in a designated closet. Don’t walk around your house with them on.

2. Keep an area in your car as a dirty area (I use my trunk). Do the same in your house, a closet or laundry room. Throw your work clothes right into the wash and then shower when you get home.

3. Get some eye protection! If you wear contacts. Start wearing your glasses. If you don’t wear prescription glasses, get some fakes. Blue light blocking glasses are all the rage. Get some. Keeps the covid out, supposedly helps with blue light ???????win win. They also decrease the amount of times you’ll touch your eyes. Especially for the 2nd grade and under teachers, where kids aren’t required to wear masks. If you’re going to wear a face shield put a name tag on it. I had a hard time recognizing people I’ve worked with for almost 20yrs.

4. Take your vitamins. Multivit, C, zinc, D3, B12, probiotic.


5. Get some head bands with buttons to hook your mask ear loops on. Your ears will thank you!

6. Don’t touch the front of your mask. When you take it off to eat or drink grab the ear loops and put it face down into a bag or Tupperware container. Wash your hands before and after touching it.

7. Facial wipes are your friend. Wiping your face every few hours when you get a break from your mask will be the best part of your day, I promise.

8. If you don’t already, keep some bleach wipes and hand sanitizer in your car. Wipe your keys, ID badge, watch and phone down. Keep as much as you can in your trunk, bring as few things as possible into your house.

9. Ask questions! Ask your administrators, coworkers, school nurse, me! You deserve answers. We’re dealing with a nasty novel virus. There are no stupid questions and chances are someone else is wondering the same thing.

10. Get a group text going with your most trusted teacher friends. So you can support each other through this. Share what works for you in your classroom with them. Share your anger, your fear, your sadness. Also share inappropriate memes that you’d otherwise get fired for posting on social media. Try to find the humor in whatever you can, I can’t stress enough how important it is to laugh. This group text will be your best therapy, and talking to people who understand exactly what you’re going through will be invaluable.

11. Sleep.

12. Peanut M&Ms pair well with red wine and shots of fireball.

All this being said, I’d like to make it abundantly clear that I disagree with schools reopening at this time. There is no vaccine, no clear treatments and data surrounding kids contracting and transmitting the virus is minimal at best. Teachers and students are not guinea pigs, but I’m trying my best to stay positive for you guys and help out in anyway I can. I truly hope and pray that I’m wrong about what I think will happen when schools reopen this fall. I’m thinking of you all daily.

THE ACCEPTABLE NUMBER OF DEATHS IS ZERO