CITYLIFE | FRONTLINE
Hardworking heroes BY STACIE GAETZ
What it’s like to be a medical professional during a pandemic
I
f one good thing has come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be the fact that we are starting to give health care professionals the credit and respect they deserve. We spoke to three Airdrie residents who are putting their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. The most astonishing thing about this story? They are thanking us. RN Morgan Hopman is a local health professional who fought to be on the front line to help patients during the pandemic. When the COVID-19 virus started to circulate in Alberta, Hopman was three weeks away from graduating from the nursing program at Bow Valley College and finishing her final preceptorship at Airdrie Urgent Care. She was disheartened when she was told her practicum would be cancelled until after the pandemic. “When I decided to be a nurse, it was without hesitation, knowing I would have to face tough situations such as infectious diseases,” she says. “Having my practicum cancelled due to COVID-19 broke my heart, knowing I was so close to being able to help in a larger capacity, but not being allowed. “Being three weeks away from graduating, and receiving exceptional preceptorship evaluations, I knew that [my classmates and I] were competent in our nursing skills and knowledge,” she adds.
S U M M E R 2020
|
airdrielife.com
95
