Staci Reynolds, assistant professor, wrote "Nurses Rise to the Challenge" for American Nurse's special edition, American Nurse Heroes, commemorating the one-year anniversary of COVID.

Excerpt

As we mark one year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we reflect on the struggles, fears, joys, strength, and perseverance we’ve encountered. We recall our concerns about how to care for patients with COVID-19 at the beginning of the outbreak. What if we run out of ventilators? What if we don’t have adequate personal protective equipment?

Over time, these concerns shifted to other questions: How do we screen employees for COVID-19 symptoms? How do we adequately prepare nursing students who can no longer complete clinicals in hospital and community settings? How do we care for the emotional needs of patients when family and friends can’t visit? How do we care for our own personal well-being in these challenging times?

With the COVID-19 vaccine now available and being widely disseminated, we move into a new phase. As we look ahead, we’re called to ask what the future of nursing will look like.