Photo By BUMED PAO | Lt. Cmdr. Megan Warth, assigned to Operations Health Support Unit Bremerton,...... read more read more
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Story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jessica L. Dowell
Naval Medical Forces Atlantic Public Affairs
I am Lt. Cmdr. Megan Warth, Women’s and Children’s Nurse, assigned to Operational Health Support Unit Bremerton, Detachment Charlie, in Everett, Washington.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Warth, a native of Everett, Washington found herself on a flight across the country, bound for Bellevue Public Health Hospital, New York City. Warth volunteered to support her country by accepting individual augmentee orders to New York, where she spent two months providing care as part of the Navy’s crisis response.
“My first days in New York City- I saw a city that was almost completely void of people, except for New York City police officers, other healthcare workers, and the homeless,” said Warth. “There were hardly any cars on the road, and most every store and restaurant was closed. For a city that never sleeps, this was a beautiful yet eerie site to see.”
Warth, a women’s health nurse of 20 years, was received at the Bellevue Public Health Hospital with open arms. She described being welcomed by exhausted, both physically and mentally, healthcare workers. As she stood on the med/surgical floor, she felt momentarily out of place. COVID-19 brought new challenges for healthcare workers; it required Warth to quickly adapt and realize that providing care is universal, regardless of who is requiring it.
“We did our best to fit into the culture, however it was evident that we stood out,” said Warth. "I learned that nursing is nursing, no matter if you normally spend your 12-hour shift coaching a soon to be mom how to push, or running around on a busy (Med/Surgical) unit. The core thing that doesn't change, that should never change, is compassion.”
While Warth was providing the medical care her patients needed, she feels that it is essential to note that medical care is only part of the overall duties of a nurse. It is second nature to her to go above for her patients and to show compassion for everyone.
"My favorite times are those moments that I get to spend extra time holding a phone to FaceTime a family, providing those extra little touches to make someone feel half human again," said Warth. "Sitting and praying with my patient because she said 'please don't leave me, I'm so scared to be alone', that is nursing to me. That is why I am here. That is why this labor and delivery nurse was called to come to NYC to work with COVID patients."
The hard work staff did was not for the thank you's, expressed Warth. They worked tirelessly, and out of their comfort zone for patients, they will never forget.
“I encountered more death and suffering than I have experienced in my 20 years of nursing,” said Warth. “As a caregiver, this was the most difficult thing for me to process; that I couldn't save everyone, but what I could do was try to give them back just a little bit of humanity through compassionate nursing care and human kindness.
When Warth is not fulfilling her obligation as a Navy reservist, she in the director for obstetrics at Optum home health in Everett.
She graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2000 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and will soon complete her Masters of Science in Nursing Administration from Liberty University.
My two months in NYC were some of the most difficult months that I have experienced, yet also the most humbling and rewarding, and I would not change that for anything,” said Warth. “In the midst of the darkness, I experienced more of God’s grace, healing, and love than anywhere else in the world.”
For more information about Navy Medicine’s response to COVID-19 visit: https://www.med.navy.mil/pages/COVID19.aspx
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2020 13:02 |
| Story ID: | 371672 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 646 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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