What attracted each of you to the nursing profession in general and to Saint David ’ s in particular ?
Rachel : My mom is a nurse , so from forever I said I would be a nurse . I was attracted to school nursing because it worked for my family once I had my son . I would move Saint David ’ s next to me if I could .
Tara : My aunt is a nurse ; I always admired her and thought I would go down that path . I had a degree in English and a real estate license , but when my mom got sick with breast cancer , I came full circle back to nursing . Rachel and I had worked at Sloan ( Kettering ) together for many years in pediatric oncology and always kept in contact . We grew close . So when the opportunity came up , I jumped on it .
What issues presented the most challenges this past year ?
Tara : The information was changing all the time and in this role everyone was looking to us for guidance . We were assuming a leadership role , which was new for me and different from my previous experience in a hospital . Covid was anything and everything . It was overwhelming .
Rachel : On top of that , you are very focused as a school nurse to care for students . This year , everyone in the school became the focus . Everyone was hinging on what we were saying . Faculty , staff , and parents were asking us questions about health . It was nice that they had faith in us .
What concerned you most day-to-day during the pandemic ?
Tara : On-site , it was triaging . Some boys came into the nurses ’ office for a normal runny nose , or headache , or a physical ailment that was really a manifestation of anxiety . Teasing out what was innocuous and a normal trip to the nurse vs this pandemic was concerning . I was so grateful to work with Rachel because she knows so many of the boys and she knew how their anxieties could present , for example , possibly as a coughing fit .
Rachel : For me , the contact tracing and making sure day to day that we did our best . We would ask ourselves so many questions . The pressure of that , and the many nights I was up until midnight thinking about whether we were ready to go the next day , because of a late positive .
How were decisions around protocols made ?
Rachel : We met weekly with a wonderful group of medical experts and Dr . O ’ Halloran , every Thursday at 5 p . m . In our experience as hospital nurses , we had previously often found that nursing work isn ’ t always listened to . To be with all of these renowned physicians and for Dr . O ’ Halloran to ask us what we thought and weigh our opinion or reactions as much as anyone else ’ s was a great tribute to the Headmaster .
As things would change , we would adapt . Typically if New York State adopted CDC guidelines , we always followed suit .
Tara : The consistency of that - following the CDC , New York State and New York City guidelines - was helpful . Sometimes , we would debate it because it felt a bit loose . The medical group was so good to give of their time ; they were really supportive . Our opinion was held really highly . This felt great ; they would confirm that we did the right thing . The members of the medical advisory group had different backgrounds and perspectives . They were respectful of each other and our perspectives .
What lessons have you learned from the pandemic ?
Rachel : Transparency is always the best . Be as transparent as possible .
Tara : For me , it was perspective . Sometimes you felt underwater , but we had resources and great people around us . Even on our worst day , when we considered what was going on around the world , we could see that we were really fortunate . I reminded myself of that all the time .
Did anything surprise you about the way the year unfolded ?
Tara : That we were able to stay open full time without having to close .
Rachel : In the first two weeks we would joke , “ hope this plan works .” We made it until November 4 without a student case . In late January and early February , the entire country was experiencing a surge and it got a bit more difficult . At that time , we felt like we were sending out communications often .
Tara : There was one period where 28 faculty members and 100 boys were out , but Assistant Headmaster Ali Aoyama was able to work the schedule so that school could remain open for all of the other students . This goes to show it was a collective , community effort .
How do you plan to unwind this summer ?
Rachel : We are taking our kids to Universal Studios on June 12 . Then we will go to the Cape .
Tara : I am going to work at Horizons and then head to the Cape . I bought a house during the pandemic , which tells you a little about how nurses function , their tolerance for stress : “ It ’ s just a pandemic , let ’ s move and uproot our lives while we are at it !”
How did you relieve stress during this past year ?
Tara : I did lots of yoga , setting boundaries was helpful . The extra days off for long weekends that we had during the
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