BUFFALO, N.Y. — Nurses dealing with a stressful environment in the Intensive care unit isn't new.
"It's always been intense. Patients have always been really, really sick. But this is a different type of illness we've never seen before," said Joshua Shouldice, an ICU nurse at Buffalo General.
But to be in the middle of a pandemic and have the job get that much harder is certainly changing everyday life there.
"We put on a lot of different uniform pieces that we never used to use before. We put a cap on our head, we wear our N-95 all day, we also have shoe covers if we want and we wear an isolation gown," said Cindy Harris, a Buffalo General ICU nurse.
Added Shouldice: "It's very taxing for 13 hours to do that."
Perhaps the hardest part of all though and the most touching is what nurses do for the loved ones whose hand we can't be there to hold.
"All they see are your eyes. I'll say to them, just so you know I'm smiling at you right now and I understand what you're going through," Harris said. "You're always like, I would want that patient treated as if they were my mom or dad."
Nurses say the whole experience can get really tough for them some days though.
"I've always been kind of stubborn, and a fighter, and not getting help for myself if I need it, and will definitely be reaching out after this to find some counseling," said Amanda Fisher, an ICU nurse at Millard-Fillmore Suburban.
For those rough days, there's still always someone to lean on.
"I've never been closer with my colleagues than we are today," Shouldice said.
"It's a team effort, we probably wouldn't survive," Harris added.
It also includes the people outside the hospital.
"The family members and the community support we've had from the City of Buffalo is unbelievable. It's been unbelievable on how kind people have been," Shouldice said.
That's what you're supposed to do for the heroes.
"We're not trying to be heroes. We're just trying to be what we've always been and take care of the sick," Fisher said.
That especially goes for the ones who never take any credit, though it's so well-deserved.
