Heroes Work Here: Faculty/Nurse Inside COVID-19 ICU

The fence surrounding Rhode Island Hospital is hung with a sign thanking the medical staff for laboring around the clock to save the lives of COVID-19 infected patients.

RIC Assistant Professor of Nursing Melinda Hodne is director of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in one of the overflow COVID-19 ICU units. She works four to five days a week there while teaching full time at Rhode Island College.

Gowned and gloved, wearing mask and face shield, Hodne makes her rounds among patients between the ages of 50 and 80. A large proportion, she said, also come with pre-existing conditions.

"They're really sick, and their recovery time is very long," she said. "You don't see the turnaround in ICU beds that you see with other disease processes." 

Despite the daily stresses of illness and death, Hodne noted that she is not overwhelmed, rather she commended the hard work and dedication of her staff.

"As a director, you've got to lead the charge," she said. "My staff is unbelievable and my RIC faculty members are as well. They check on me all the time, asking if there is anything they can do to help with my class load."

Along with seeing patients and supervising NPs and PAs, Hodne is on the phone throughout the day informing family members of their loved one's condition. From the moment a COVID-19 positive patient is admitted to the hospital, their family members are no longer allowed to see them.

"Rhode Island was one of the first states to institute that limitation," she said. "I think it was a very hard decision but a very good one. I think we've had positive results as a community because of it. My hope is that families know that we're here for their loved ones, that we're caring for them, that we're holding their hands."

In the evening, Hodne pulls up to her home where she self-isolates because her husband is considered immune compromised and she has two children, ages 11 and 14.

"I get to see them down the hallway, but I don't get to touch them," she said. "We share dinner over Facetime. It's hard, but I'm relieved just to see their faces."

She went on to thank the people of Rhode Island for doing a great job in following the public health directives. "I encourage them to keep it up," she said. "The leadership of our state and our hospital system has also been fantastic. The support outside is getting us through each day."