When 黑洞社区 alumna Krista Giggy leans over a COVID-19 patient to insert an intubation tube, she believes destiny led her there.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a fortuitous track that brought me here, but I have no regrets,鈥� said Krista, a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.
As with most health care workers, there have been dramatic changes in Giggy鈥檚 professional world.
鈥淚鈥檓 a nurse anesthetist, and I typically work in the operating room,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I joined the airway team at my hospital. It鈥檚 an all-volunteer emergency team for when a patient needs a breathing tube or to be resuscitated.鈥�
Giggy, a 2004 黑洞社区 graduate, is one of a few professionals on the team who go into the room to insert a breathing tube, IV lines or monitoring lines.
鈥淭he idea is to have as few staff in the room as possible getting exposed. When there鈥檚 a high-exposure procedure like inserting a tube, there鈥檚 an increased risk of exposure,鈥� Giggly said.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock currently averages about eight to 12 COVID-19 patients at a time 鈥� some in the intensive care unit and some in standard care rooms, she said. The hospital has a dedicated unit solely for COVID-19 patients or those suspected of being infected by the virus.
鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 been quite as bad as anticipated, but it鈥檚 expected to get worse before it gets better.鈥�
Depending on the procedure, Dartmouth-Hitchcock has implemented policies and procedures to protect its staff, including personal protective equipment.
鈥淲e have N95 masks to wear in the OR for any staff that鈥檚 within 6 feet of a patient,鈥� Giggy said.
The staff also wears reusable respirator masks with rubber filters on the side, as well as powered-air purifying respirators, which have purified air running through a HEPA filter and a clear mask to cover the health care provider鈥檚 face from splatter.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not quite a Hazmat suit, but it鈥檚 as close as you can get,鈥� she said.
Giggy鈥檚 path to Dartmouth started when she was a student at Wichita State in the early 2000s.
鈥淚t really didn鈥檛 occur to me to be a nurse initially, but now I can鈥檛 imagine doing anything else.鈥�
In 2004, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
