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Courtesy of Mount Sinai Hospital
able to quarantine, taking antibiotics,
other treatments, and having a
good immune system, I am one of
the lucky ones.”
Since the beginning of the coronavirus
outbreak, it’s been mentally
and physically challenging for Laskina
as the hospital became overwhelmed
with patients, she said.
“It’s been devastating seeing
patients sick, intubated and passing
away. We put on our protective
equipment, two masks, shield,
gown, gloves, and it’s a lot of time
and energy disposing of PPE than
taking care of patients,” Laskina
said. “A lot of our staff gets sick and
between everything — my recovery,
kids being out of school, and
husband working from home — it’s
been quite an adjustment,” Laskina
added.
During the spike of coronavirus
hospitalizations in March and April,
Laskina had been working a few extra
hours in the evening to help her
colleagues on the floor.
“It makes me happy that I work
with no leftovers for the evening
shift to do,” Laskina said. “I try to
complete my work to the best of my
ability and help all of my coworkers
around me.”
In response to the overwhelming
support healthcare professionals
are receiving for helping to save
lives during the pandemic, Laskina
described it as gratifying.
“I see the support from the local
restaurants and delis, pretty much
every day they have been giving
free lunch to the nursing staff,”
Laskina said. “That’s very nice because
a lot of restaurants are closed
and as busy as you are, you don’t
have time to go out and see what
is open and what you would eat.”
Although the job is difficult yet
rewarding, Laskina doesn’t have
any regrets of becoming a nurse.
“Taking care of our patients —
whether it’s in-patient or out-patient
— it makes me happy to help
whether they have pain or are recovering
from an orthopedic surgery,
or any kind of surgery,” Laskina said.
And as the city continues to fight
the coronavirus, Laskina is reminding
everyone to take the necessary
precautions to protect themselves.
“Don’t get comfortable too fast
because we can have a resurgence
of cases. It doesn’t take much to
go backwards,” Laskina said. “Eat
healthy, exercise, take a deep
breath and everything will be okay.
We will get through this.”
Laskina
Viktoriya Laskina, a registered nurse at Mount Sinai Queens, was presented with a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, which was
established to celebrate the extraordinary compassion nurses provide their patients and families every day.
/BOROMAG.COM
