April 20, 2020

Jennifer Olszewski, EdD, is the chair of the Accelerated Career Entry nursing programs and an adult gerontology nurse practitioner at Vista Medical Services. Her practice focuses on geriatric medicine with special attention to the care of dementia patients.

"As an NP, I cover specialty care for patients in long-term care facilities," Olszewski explained. One of the buildings where she works is currently having a terrifying outbreak of COVID-19 with significant mortality. "I have been a nurse for 24 years and an NP for 19; I have cared and held the hands of many dying patients . It's just unbelievable that there are so many in such a short time frame. Many of us are also nervous about getting sick bringing this home to our families, it can be a paralyzing fear. I don't think we have time to even think about how we feel right now or how this will impact our own mental health. The sadness and gravity of this will hit us at different times throughout the rest of our lives, but it will never fully leave us."