Oral History Interview with Sarah Colbert

Partial Transcript: "Okay, so we are now recording. Um today is Thursday, September 24, 2020. Uh, my name is Ellie Dossler, and I am talking with Sarah Colbert over Zoom, and we're going to be talking about Sarah's experiences at the start of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.

Segment Synopsis: Interviewer introduces self and interviewee.

Keywords: coronavirus; Coronavirus; covid-19; Covid-19

Subjects: Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "Um Sarah, let's just start um, I'm gonna ask you to kinda introduce yourself, uh maybe describe a little about what your daily life has been like over the past couple months."

Segment Synopsis: Colbert introduces herself and her profession. She is a Critical Care nurse at Bowling Green Medical Center, and she also teaches nursing clinicals at Western Kentucky University. The clinicals she taught were not able to be done via computer, and required hands on learning, which Covid affected greatly. She also notes how scary it was working in the hospital at the start of covid: she feared she would be isolated from friends and family. She volunteered to work on the Covid Unit because she felt safer being able to have the necessary protective gear.

Keywords: bowling green medical center; Bowling Green Medical Center; quarantine; Quarantine; western kentucky university; Western Kentucky University; wku; WKU

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "So you - you felt safer because of um the resources you had? Or why did you feel safer in the Covid unit than the rest of the hospital?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert notes that she felt safer because the Covid unit had masks and other gear that they had to wear for 13 - 14 hours. She also discusses the fear that everyone had in the hospital.

Keywords: coronavirus; Coronavirus; covid; Covid; personal protective equipment; Personal Protective Equipment; ppe; PPE

Subjects: bowling green; Bowling Green; Kentucky

Partial Transcript: "Um, what was your um, what was the support system like on the Covid ward?

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses that on the Covid floor they had the best teamwork that she had seen in years. Because she and the others volunteered to work there, Colbert believes that is why they all worked together so well.

Keywords: coronavirus; Coronavirus; covid; Covid; covid-19; Covid-19

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "Um, you said that the patient load was different on the Covid ward? What do you mean like that? What was caring for the patients like?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses the differences of working with Covid patients versus a different floor on the hospital. Covid floor nurses would have no more than 3 patients, and then sometimes they would be there longer than other normal patients. She notes that you have to make sure you have all your supplies and prioritize your time so you don't spread germs as much.

Keywords: coronavirus; Coronavirus; covid; Covid; covid-19; Covid-19

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "Um, I know of course you can't, you can't really talk about specific individual patients but um, what - what was it like being able - trying to get to know the patients on the Covid ward?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses how sad it was to see patients being lonely, anxious, and scared. She also notes that some felt more comfortable after seeing the same nurses and doctors, but she states that every patient is different.

Keywords: coronavirus; Coronavirus; covid; Covid; covid-19; Covid-19

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "Yeah, you spoke to this a little bit, but uh, you said that for some patients who are there a long time, getting to see the same faces of you, the healthcare workers was helpful. Um, what was it like for you seeing the same faces of the patients who were there two or three weeks at a time?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses what it was like seeing long term patients in the Covid ward. It was encouraging to see people improve and make progress, however it was heartbreaking to see them get worse and not improve.

Keywords: coronavirus; Coronavirus; covid; Covid; covid-19; Covid-19; healthcare; Healthcare

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "What about - what about when you would come home from working in the Covid ward? What was it like either to prepare to leave the hospital or head home from the hospital on those days?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses her routine heading home from the hospital. She would change at the hospital into a new pair of clothes, take off her shoes in her garage, immediately wash her clothes and shower right after. Then she would do her best to decompress and relax at home.

Keywords: coronavirus; Coronavirus; covid; Covid; covid-19; Covid-19

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "Yeah you mentioned earlier that um, you and your parents had been afraid to see each other at the beginning. Um, have you been able to see your parents in person at all since the start of the pandemic or just talking on the phone?

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses how afraid her parents were of Covid. There were times when they had no physical contact, but then she finally able to have contact with them outside with proper spacing. Eventually, both her parents were cautious, but decided they would see Colbert regardless. She also had contact with her sister. While staying with her sister, they took proper precautions, but felt that contact was necessary for emotional health.

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "Yeah, you said um that your sister recognized that you needed people, that was part of protecting you all emotionally. Can you um say some more about that? When you felt like you needed people, what was that like?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses how much different being around someone versus seeing someone over video. She notes that she loved being around people and isolating herself was really hard.

Keywords: Mental Health; mental health

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "Yeah, yeah, you said you were a traveler. Um, what um, what has - what has that change been like, to not be able to go out and experience things and maybe, have you - have you tried to do anything to try to counteract that?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses how she spent a lot of time out kayaking with friends, keeping distance. She says one of the most rewarding things about covid was everything slowing down and not having to do things all the time.

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "Um so what - what has daily life for you been like since then - since you've been off work?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses her time off of work. She says she feels lazy and has done a lot of puzzle. Having injured her foot, she had a cast, which made going outside difficult. She has been over to her friends' a few times, doing movie nights and game nights, keeping them small.

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "I was gonna ask um if there was anything right now that you are uh that you're actually looking forward to?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses that she's looking forward to going back to work after her foot heals. She looks forward to seeing people again and feeling like she is doing something. She also mentions that she normally has a trip to look forward to, but because of Covid, she cannot, and she mentions it's been hard.

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "So you said you're getting - you started physical therapy for your foot. What's it like to you know, kinda get to be a patient right now?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses her PT experience for her foot. She says that Covid-wise she has been a good patient, doing what she has been told to do. She also knows the PT, even though it is a lot, is helping her foot.

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "Before we wrap up, is there anything that we haven't talked about yet that you think is important to share, maybe something you expected us to talk about that we haven't or just that you think is important to get out there?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert discusses the importance of wearing a mask and washing someone's hands. She says that wearing a mask is to help keep things from spreading and prevent other people from getting sick.

Keywords: mask; Mask

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: "What is something that, maybe that you see happening or that has happened with you that has made you feel hopeful?"

Segment Synopsis: Colbert says that one of the biggest positives she's seen is the appreciation of family and friendships, and also a generous amount of kindness. People are appreciating medicine, travelling, people.

Subjects: Bowling Green; Kentucky; Pandemic