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Hey, y'all!! I apologize that this is a LONG one, but so much has happened in such a short amount of time!
Also, I totally can’t take credit for that clever headline. Mitch, an American Medical Response EMT with whom I had the pleasure of working, made that joke and I lost it! Keep in mind we *had* been freezing and wet for the prior 12 hours, but I’ve been thawed for a solid 12 hours now and I still think it is damn funny!
I would just like to say, first, that I feel so privileged and am so honored to be doing this work. From an operational side, this is a feat of efficiency. From a personnel side, it is a hallmark of teamwork. From the human side, this is our first step back to the way we were.
I have spoken with a woman who told me this site made her feel "proud to be an American" and a dad who didn't let his daughter get cotton candy at the last Oakland A's game - a year ago - and he just wants a chance to go back to a game and buy his little girl that cotton candy. I have spoken with teachers who are so excited to be able to be with their students in real life and people who are doing this to honor those they have lost to this disease.
This, too, makes me proud to be an American and a Nurse. This has been so cathartic, truly soul healing work for frontline healthcare workers to participate in. It is our step to stem the tide. It is our step to bring families back to the bedside. It is our step to not wearing our photos around our necks so patients can see who is caring for them. It is our step. Our step up and out of this mess.
PART ONE: The Path to Becoming a Vaccinator
I signed up with Aya Healthcare because I read a NYT article that said California had an exclusive contract with them. Since Cali is close and was in dire need, I figured it was perfect!
My recruiter, Melanie, got me an offer to start Feb. 22nd in Modesto. The thing about Aya is that I receive a housing stipend, but I have to find my own accommodations. This means searching Airbnb, Furnished Finders (and other sites), then contacting the owners about availability because the calendars are rarely maintained accurately. Some people respond, others respond too late, others don’t respond at all. It’s stressful to say the least. But, with adequate lead time, anything is doable! I dive into my search for housing in Modesto.
About a week later that offer was changed to Sacramento (the same hospital system just in a different locale). I notify Aya that I booked my flight and will be arriving from Mexico on Feb. 20th.
I scrap my previous housing searches. It’s now February 1st, my assignment starts February 22nd; I can do this! I begin searching, again, with renewed vigor. By February 7th, I secure a place rooming with a lovely young lady and her two doggos.
Now, I need to remind you that we just bought the house. We were very much in the process of moving. We were getting estimates from contractors on things that needed to be fixed before we moved in officially, we were packing our life up from the condo and slowly transitioning into the house.
In the couple of weeks leading up to my assignment we had an electrician come fix some things and some plumbers come fix a couple of BIG things. We completely moved in the Tuesday before the Saturday that I left for Cali. So. It was a bit hectic is all I’m sayin’! 😃
Now it’s Saturday, travel day!!! I have to get my COVID test done before my flight so I factor in plenty of time to get that done. For those who don’t know, there is a COVID testing station conveniently located in the MZT International Airport!
Here is how the morning went...
I was fully geared up: N95 - check. Second mask - check. Face shield - check. Alcohol spray - check!
Flight departs at 15:23
10:00 - Left house
10:30 - Arrived at airport
10:37 - got in COVID test line
- One person getting tested
- One person waiting
10:48 - Test complete
11:20 - Went back for results
11:25 - Results negative
12:00 - Got in line at American Airlines
HIT A SNAG Part 1
A nice AA employee was pre-verifying my documents to make sure I had everything and I DIDN’T! You need to have an INM migration form. I had a picture of mine on my phone, but it wasn’t accepted. I’m not sure if it was expired, if it was because it was on a phone, or because it said that I was traveling by “land” and this was air. It could have been just one of those reasons or all three, I have no idea because my Spanish sucks. All I know is I had to very quickly obtain one. The AA fellow said it was no problem and that I just needed to walk further down to the INM station and he assured me it was a quick process. I’ll be honest, I didn’t really believe him. Since when is anything at an airport fast?
Well, he was totally right! I got it in less than 3 minutes. The INM employee was standing outside the office waiting for some idiot to need his help. Cue me! I was, literally, the only one there.
I finish checking in and check my bags, head to the second floor to eat lunch. It was airport food. I swear, it’s the same everywhere. Then I headed to security. That’s when I realized how conditioned of an American frequent flyer I am!
Since there is no TSA Pre-Check, I did what every well-trained American does. I took off my shoes, jewelry, belt, my one 3oz bag of liquids, and all electronics. I put them all in their respective bins on the conveyor belt and walked on through the metal detector. At the end of the line, I collect all of my belonging and head off to the side so as not to hold up others. It was then that I realized that no one else was joining me in this area. In fact, as I studied the line, I realized no one else did all of this. Shoes and belts stayed on, liquids stayed in bags. The only thing they took out were the laptops. So, yeah, "Hey! I'm American"...
I board my flight and all is well. I purposely picked a flight with a 15 hour layover in PHX so that I could spend the night in the airport and not stress about getting through customs and the next leg of the flight. I successfully and quickly get through customs, retrieve my bags and head to the AA priority check-in line to re-check my bags. That is when I realize the error of my ways....
HIT A SNAG Part 2
I realized, while I was in the check-in line at PHX, that my ticket destination was to SFO (San Francisco - the destination airport for my original contract in Modesto) instead of SMF (Sacramento - my new contract's destination airport). I talked to a ticket agent who had just finished vociferously complaining to her coworker that another agent was not back from her break yet and she was 30 minutes past her break time and she was super pissed about it. Perfect. This is not going to be a pleasant experience.
To make an anxiety inducing story short, I bought a new ticket to SMF which, as she handed me my ticket, she informed me was leaving in less than 30 minutes. She did not give me TSA pre-check so I had to go through regular security, which - as we established earlier - requires taking everything off and out and then putting everything back together again. I RAN to my gate and made my flight! PHEW!!
I settled into my new, Sacramento room that night and met my new housemate (HI RAHEL!!!) and two new dog friends! World, meet Zuri! I forgot to take a picture of Rogan, but imagine a Husky with an Australian Shepard’s coloring and markings! So boopable!
HIT A SNAG Part 3
My contract had to be delayed a week (now to be 3/1) because I needed a drug test and physical prior to work. I'm not sure how this was overlooked given that Aya knew my arrival date from another country. So, I got to hang out for a week doing nothing in Sacramento and I mean nothing.
Since I no longer have American car insurance I can't rent a car. Well, I can... BUT the car rental would cost $2K and all of the insurance I would need to buy would cost an additional $2.3K. So, that's not gonna happen. Uber/Lyft here I come! It's okay, it's only for one week. I'm a nurse, I can do anything for one week...
I decided to try something I have never tried before, Korean BBQ. You know the kind you grill yourself? Here is what I will say, it's delicious, but don't go alone; it's just too much food! But check out that thing (I don't remember what bit of animal flesh it was) flipping inside out as I cook it!
HIT A SNAG Part 4
On 2/25, the Thursday before I am supposed to start work, I am informed that the hospital has postponed all contracts. There's no vaccines so they are delaying everyone until 3/15. That is two more weeks of doing absolutely nothing. That will make almost a month that I have been away from home not making an income, certainly spending money, all with no guarantee that I will start on 3/15 because if there is still no vaccine, there is no job.
I spoke with Melanie (who is an amazing recruiter!) and she started hunting new options for me. By 3/2, I had a new contract in Oakland, CA with a start date of 3/5. That gave me TWO DAYS to find a new home and travel to Oakland.
I decided to make it an adventure and take the Amtrak to Oakland - yay!! A train ride!! I Ubered to the
Sacramento Valley Station and rode very comfortably down to Oakland. What a GREAT experience. It was so relaxing, it was amazingly socially distanced, and I get why babies are lulled into tranquility by the gentle rocking of moving vehicles!
For those who have never been on an Amtrak ride before, this is what it's like!
I arrive and head to a hotel for the first night as I am still looking for housing! And, boy, did housing come through! I was able to move into the most beautiful studio on Thursday 3/4! Check this place out! This is the studio I rented from an amazing human (Casey, you ROCK!)! Designed to accommodate business travelers (specifically traveling healthcare workers), this has been a PERFECT home away from home. If anyone is traveling to Oakland and needs a place with an amazing host check out this listing https://www.furnishedfinder.com/property/264823_1
I've not had a lot of time off in Oakland, but I was able to visit with a good friend (HI ANDREA!) at a local brewery. Tell me this isn't gorgeous! STUNNING! I was in beer paradise! Oh, and the beer was really good, too!
Also, on my days off, Casey - my awesome landlady - has made sure that I am not bored or stuck (especially since the no car thing and there is no walking in Oakland!). There are two other travel nurses in the main house with Casey and they are amazing people! (HI Q and NATALIE!!) So far, Q treated us to a car-cially distanced St. Patty's Day parking lot car concert and yummy vegan goodness, I've eaten Tibetan Bhuddist Vegan food with Casey, and I got ice cream from a REAL ICE CREAM TRUCK! PS - Listen to the clip below for the intriguing twist on the Celtic music I was expecting...
Which brings me to the FUN part!!! Getting paid to stab people!!
PART TWO - Vaccinating at the Oakland Arena Mass Vaccination Site
The process in three, simple steps...
Without further ado, here are several clips. I am working at the national model for federally operated mass vaccination site. We are capable of performing up to 10,000 vaccines a day, but average around 8,000. We average turning over a tent full of 35 vehicles in anywhere from 4.5-6 minutes, but it can be done in as little as 2.5 minutes. For more info on the site, I recommend Video 1 for sure! But I recommend them all because they each focus on different facets of an amazing event.
Video 1: My official inside look at what it takes to run one of these sites. I'm quite proud of this video, not because of my graphic prowess (don't judge... I found a couple of mistakes after publishing, but I choose to keep them so I stay humble... yeah, that's why.... not because I was just too plumb tired to re-edit it for the millionth time...), but because of everything it represents, everything it took to make it happen, and everyone has boots on the ground everyday to turn the tide of this pandemic.
Video 2: What it's like on a rain day. We have vaccinated through lows in the mid 40s to highs in the low 50s, rain, hail, 29mph winds, and double rainbows. We have seen every variation of weather, but it has never dampened our spirits nor the spirits of those who are so happy to be receiving their vaccines! I'd also like to give a shoutout to all of our compatriots vaccinating in sites like this all over the states, especially in the colder temperatures. It's brutal to be out in the cold all day every day. The cold gets into your bones!
Video 3: The Mess Tent! This was on my very first day, so everything you see I am experiencing for the first time. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was excited and grateful to be doing it!
Video 4: While there is not often much "down" time, we tend to spend that time in our tent dancing! It keeps us warm and keeps our spirits up! It has helped us foster a closeness as a team. AND I LEARNED HOW TO SALSA! Just not as well as the people in this clip!
VIDEO 1: Inside look at working a mass vaccine site
VIDEO 2: Inclement weather at a mass vaccine site
VIDEO 3: Eating at a mass vaccine site
VIDEO 4: Decompressing at a mass vaccine site
PART THREE - The introspective part
You may have noticed that I hit some snags along this journey. I surely noticed!
Despite the challenges, I never lost my joy. I remained happy because I knew that regardless of where I ended up, it was going to be exactly where I belonged. I am so grateful for all of the twists and turns because they allowed me to make some amazing friends from all over the country, vaccinate at a national trendsetter, and explore a BUNCH of new cities!
Alright guys, that is it for now.
As always, make time for yourself, remember who you are, and find what brings you happiness.
Commit to being kind to yourself and others.
Be grateful always.
Take a leap; choose joy!
L
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