Communications Center, Marlborough Hospital
interviewed by Rafael Rojas, 1/6/2021
This Monday was the first day in 40 years where I felt like I really didn’t want to go to work. My kids were just growing up when I started this job, going part-time on Friday nights. It was my very own Friday night out for a while. I really love getting to talk to people, I enjoy my coworkers, and it is fulfilling work. So, when I felt this way on Monday, I called my boss to talk about it. She was fine with me taking the day off and just getting a break.
My department took on the challenge of putting together the COVID testing kits for the community. At the start of the pandemic, the demand for these kits was not nearly as overwhelming as it is now. There are barely enough to make it to the next day. Each day requires 500-800 tests, and that’s as many as we can make for the day. It’s tough to go through all of that work and feel like there won’t be any left; we just have to start over.
Putting the tests together in such large quantities is definitely tough work, but the biggest challenge is to keep doing our normal job on top of it, and to do it well. These last few weeks have been very, very, busy and very overwhelming. Thankfully, going into this next surge the hospital administration has put out a call to anyone who would like extra hours to help us out. We really need it.
Perhaps the biggest impact that the pandemic has on our workplace is through our personal lives. It is really tough to want to see my children and their kids and have to wear my mask, or even not see them at all. You can tell that they’re scared and don’t want to get me sick. It’s really hard to see that fear in them. It’s moments like these that make you start thinking ahead and get worried to go into work. My ‘chipper’ attitude does fade as the day goes on, but it’s the time before work, when you worry most, that poses the biggest challenge. This all gets better as soon as I step inside. As I said, I love my work and it makes me happy.
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We all need time off. But, for the record, that day when I really felt like I didn’t want to go in to work? I went to work anyway. And I was fine! You know, I’m a morning person, so once I got there all of the girls were like, “Why are you so chipper?” Everyone is in this together, and if we work together, we can get through it. If people speak up and speak their mind and let their concerns be known, they will be addressed. It’s a good thing to get your feelings out and let them be known at a time like this. Speak with your supervisors about how you’re feeling, do the best you can for yourself and for your department and we will get through the days where it’s tough to go in.