‘I go home knowing I helped people’
Astoria nurse takes pride in caring for patients during COVID-19 pandemic
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Viktoriya Laskina of Astoria
takes pride in her career
working as a registered nurse
at Mount Sinai Queens Hospital,
where she has spent 20
years caring for patients.
“It’s always been my passion
and the patients come
first,” Laskina said. “There
are certain days it is stressful
being a nurse, but at the end
of the day I go home knowing
I helped people. I don’t think I
would be satisfied with sitting
at a desk shuffling papers.”
In February, Laskina was
recognized by Mount Sinai
Queens with a DAISY Award
for Extraordinary Nurses,
which was established to celebrate
the extraordinary compassion
nurses provide their
patients and families every
day.
Since graduating from
Adelphi University in 1999
with a bachelor of science degree
in nursing, Laskina said
she knew it was her calling to
help people — especially at a
time when healthcare professionals
are battling the coronavirus.
“We are in the medical profession
and it’s our job to help
patients get better,” Laskina
said. “The country is in a crisis,
and as a nurse it’s my obligation
to put my heart and
soul into my work and do what
I can to help them.”
For 20 years, Laskina has
been working in the Medical/
Surgical 4 Department, where
surgeries have been canceled
as nurses and doctors treat
coronavirus patients in respiratory
distress.
While treating coronavirus
patients, Laskina also
became ill in early April and
was quarantined in her home
for two weeks. Following her
recovery, she returned to the
hospital to continue working
on the frontlines with her colleagues.
“I was nervous, but yet happy
to return because laying in
bed makes you feel like you’re
not productive with your
time,” Laskina said. “Thanks
to my family and being 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
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.
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 PPP 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
TIMESLEDGER | 26 QNS.COM | MAY 8-MAY 14, 2020
hospitalizations in
March and April, Laskina
has 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
but 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.”
/QNS.COM
