RACHEL GRACE REISINGER
Hometown: Midlothian
Family: husband Curtis
Became an RN: 2012
Employer: VCU Health
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As a college sophomore, I was majoring in nutrition. But then I took a class in anatomy and physiology. I realized I wanted to switch my major and become a nurse.
These days, I work in VCU Health System’s interventional radiology unit – we combine minimally invasive procedures and live fluoroscopy to treat diseases and injuries. With a relatively stable patient, the work can be fairly quiet.
In the past year, though, our work has become more complicated as we treat COVID-19 patients. Most of them are acutely sick, and simply getting ready to receive them in the procedure room is pretty involved.
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Before the patient arrives, I get all my equipment ready. Then I put on shoe covers and a lead apron that weighs 12 pounds. I slip a large gown over the apron, which covers my arms and legs. I also wear an N95 mask and a face shield, as well as a cap over my hair. Finally, I pull on two pairs of gloves, so I can safely pull off one set if they become soiled.
The procedures take 30 minutes to three hours, and I stay with patients the whole time. After the patient leaves, there’s a strict procedure for taking off all the protective equipment. I have to roll up my gown a certain way, and someone monitors me to make sure I’m not contaminating myself.
Before the pandemic, I never worried about my job affecting my health or my husband’s health. But early on in the outbreak, when we were running out of supplies and didn’t know exactly what the disease was, it was scary.
Once vaccinations became available, I began volunteering to give shots on my days off. In one day, we vaccinated 2,000 people. I’ve volunteered 50 hours since January, and it has elicited so much joy in me. I’m seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. My most profound moment came when I vaccinated my husband. I literally had tears in my eyes.
Nursing offers many moments that reaffirm my commitment to others. I remember working in VCU’s intensive care unit, and one of my patients had been in a hospital room for a year. He was chronically ill, and I could see he was getting very depressed.
So I decided to take him to the healing garden outside VCU Massey Cancer Center. I had to get permission to move him, and I had to bring emergency medication and monitor him as we traveled there. Once he was outside, he had the biggest grin on his face, and his eyes welled up. His wife held his hand, and they looked up at the sky together.
He was discharged a couple weeks later. I like to think the garden visit made a difference in his recovery.
- As told to Doug Chambers