As COVID-19 continues to impact not only the United States but also the world, we are seeing hundreds of men and women in the healthcare industry risk their lives daily to ensure the health and safety of their patients.
New Orleans based travel nurse Kristal Glover-Wing has been working as a registered nurse for 22 years. She ran her own healthcare company for 20 years before signing on as a travel nurse over the last two. She’s traveled to Virginia, California, and even around her home state of Louisiana working in everything from corrections to actual hospitals.
Kristal has spent a significant portion of her nursing career working in in-home healthcare. She authored the book ‘The Caregivers Bible’ to help others who may be caring for sick or elderly relatives at home, something that is especially important in these unprecedented times.
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to pick up, Kristal took a few months off just to prepare herself better before heading back out onto the front line.
“I took some time off because I have a pre-existing lung condition as well as hypertension, and I wanted to make sure I knew everything about the virus so I could properly protect myself first,” Kristal told Travel Noire. “The virus seems to affect those with my type of conditions the most.”
In a few weeks, she and her husband plan to move to California from Louisiana where Kristal is set to begin a new assignment.
Normally when she seeks out a gig, she will work with a recruiter to find the perfect assignment. The process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. However, with the global pandemic, the entire process has been expedited.
Kristal explains how many healthcare companies are skipping the normal interview process for candidates because of the need for employees. The normal orientations and onboarding requirements are being loosened so that nurses can get into action as soon as possible. Because of this, Kristal and her husband will likely be in California within the next two weeks since things are moving so fast.
“Now that I understand more about COVID-19 and how to protect myself properly, I feel comfortable going into work even with my pre-existing condition. I will make sure to stay protected with PPE at all times, even if I’m not working with diagnosed patients.”
To learn more about Kristal and her nursing journey, you can check out her website: www.thecaregiversbible.com.
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