Alumni nurses respond to Covid-19 pandemic: Facing the coronavirus head on

Alumnus Patrick Lin (BSN’15) with his newborn and 20-month-old.

The routine has become second nature to Patrick Lin: shower at the hospital, head home, avoid contact with his family, take another shower, greet his children.  

He performs this precautionary process each day after a shift at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), where he provides direct patient care to COVID-19 patients at the outbreak Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“When I reach home, my 20-month-old son’s natural instinct is to run up to me for a hug, but my wife or mom has to carry him away,” he says.

“After a long shift, all I want to do is spend time with my kids, but it’s heart breaking that when I’m home, I have to practise self-distancing as they are still so young,” adds the new father whose wife gave birth to a baby girl last month.

Patrick is among the alumni from NUS Nursing who are playing critical roles amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Class of 2015 graduate was deployed to NCID to care for ICU patients from his regular duty of conducting evidence-based practice and research at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Nursing Research Unit in early February, when the COVID-19 outbreak quickly shifted the Hospital’s focus as it began treating patients with the coronavirus. There was a vital need to augment the manpower at the outbreak ICU with medical professionals trained in critical care, and Patrick – who was trained as an ICU nurse – was asked to join the unit.  

“Of course, I was concerned about the risk of exposure but chose to place my trust in the Hospital’s policies and measures to protect its nurses,” he explains.

The 30-year-old nurse was mentally prepared for a steep learning curve in the outbreak ICU but found his past training paid off. He assimilated to his new working environment after undergoing training on managing COVID-19 patients and the necessary PPE procedures and protocols.

As research on the coronavirus steps up at the NCID, he is even leading a few COVID-19-related projects at the ICU. “These involve nursing manpower deployment during the outbreak as well as the training and psychosocial needs of nurses deployed on the front lines. With new evidence surrounding COVID-19 emerging every day, it is important that contextually relevant evidence is generated to ensure appropriate interventions and support are rendered,” he explains.

In times of anxiety and isolation, he also came to appreciate that his role as a nurse transcended the provision of nursing care. Giving a first-hand account of the first patient he nursed at the outbreak ICU, he said: “He was slightly breathless, but an otherwise cheerful gentleman. He and I developed a rapport and I was amazed at how nurses can quickly become the patient’s advocate, family member and provider in times of isolation.

“However, at one point, he had to be heavily sedated. Thankfully, he managed to pull through, and I would frequently walk past his room to give him a thumbs up to encourage him. Weeks later, when he was well enough to be transferred out of the ICU, I felt a sense of triumph. These victories over COVID-19 are what make me turn up for work each day.”

The pandemic has also broken down hierarchies and brought out the nurturing, protective side of healthcare. “I have seen more light-hearted moments between senior and junior medical staff, such as a head of department giving a junior doctor a pat on the back, and a nursing leader jesting with her nursing team,” he says.

He wishes to thank his wife Nichole Chua, who is also a nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, for her support of his redeployment from the nursing research unit to the outbreak ICU. “She constantly reminds me to be vigilant at work, and the food and drinks she packs into my work bag give me the fuel to go on.

“My mom has also been wonderful in taking care of my kids when I am at work,” he adds.