On Tuesday, I called our pediatrician about our infant’s third ear infection in her short seven months. They informed me they were not currently seeing sick kids in the office and set me up with an appointment at urgent care for later that morning.
I was bummed because I love our pediatrician, but I completely understood. Even though she wasn’t running a fever and wasn’t contagious, I appreciated the caution and care they were using regarding my daughter’s health and the health of other patients. And really, after five restless nights, I was just excited to get some relief, for both of us.
I’m impressed with how many ways the medical field has expedited the process of a routine office visit. I checked in online. I called to inform them of my arrival. They texted me when they were ready for me to enter. When I walked through the revolving doors, I was greeted by the nurse, fully gowned in PPE and holding the door for me. She checked both of our temperatures before we crossed the threshold into the clinic. She ushered me straight back to the exam room without either of us coming in contact with any doors or surfaces.
The hardest part of the visit was the thirty-minute wait in the exam room trying to keep my infant daughter from pulling off my homemade fabric mask. Though, given some wait times of over an hour in urgent care, this was nothing.
The provider came in. I was impressed by her PPE coverage: face mask, goggles, face shield, plastic sheath gown to cover her clothes, and new gloves when she sat down. All of her personal features were completely unrecognizable. I had no idea what she wore to work that day, what color her hair was, or even what her expression was when she saw us. She may have looked like something straight out of a science fiction movie, but she was protected.
Her first question asked if I wanted a COVID test for her. It definitely caught me off guard. First, is it really that easy to get a test? Does my daughter need one? And second, I’m here for an ear infection. I have absolutely no concerns about her exposure to COVID. But, to the provider, this has become a routine screening. After assuring her my child’s risk is low because she is not currently in daycare, we bypassed the test and continued with the exam.
After a positive confirmation on the ear infection, the provider waited for me to pack my belongings and buckle my daughter in her car seat so she could hold the two doors for us our way out the door. From the time I walked into the clinic to the time I left, I did not touch any surface of the facility.
Impressive.
All this for a five-minute visit with two healthy people (minus an ear infection). It was a little bit like the royal treatment. During a dystopian novel.
Then, I started thinking about what PPE coverage will look like for me, a teacher who could be forced into her classroom with 150 students in a building of more than 1,300 people. The nurse and doctor came in contact with two people, my daughter and myself, who are not high-risk individuals, and the amount of PPE they wore is far greater than what is being considered for any public teacher, especially in the state of Iowa.
What will PPE look like for me as I spend 40-90 minutes in close contact with 150 students? How often will I get tested for the virus? How do I keep my students safe and socially distanced? Will I wear a face shield with my mask? Should I get a plexiglass barrier for my desk? What about my students’ desks? Should I get different clothes to wear at work so my “nice” work clothes aren’t contaminated? Will I not be able to hug my daughters until after I shower (like I have seen so many medical professionals do)?
I am literally riddled with anxiety every day at all the factors that have to be considered inside a school system for this to be even remotely possible.
As soon as I start to adjust to a new normal, more “guidance” is handed out by the state or federal level that contradicts and rolls back the work that has been done. And with all guidance, proclamations, and mandates, there is no talk of additional funding to support the needed PPE to keep teachers and students healthy. But, that in itself, is another issue entirely.
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