A licensed practical nurse in Montreal is giving people a glimpse into what a day working during the coronavirus crisis can look like.
Dale Langille was happy in his job as a financial adviser in Montreal until the coronavirus pandemic hit the world and everything — including his business — slowed down.
Instead of caring for people’s finances, Langille switched gears to caring for people’s health instead.
He returned to the profession he had left a few years ago in order to become a financial adviser: a licensed practical nurse.
“I couldn’t see myself sitting at home doing nothing at all,” Langille said.
On his first day back, Langille was assigned to a floor handling COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, at the Notre-Dame hospital, an experience he described as “bewildering.”
“You don’t really know what’s going on and what you have to do, what’s expected of you. The start was kind of confusing. But once we got settled in, our teams were up and given our patients, we got into a routine,” Langille said.
That routine can be exhausting, he explains. It starts with getting dressed for the day: according to Langille, staff must leave any personal items, including phones, in a locker.
“To go onto the floor, you wash your hands, put on a jacket. Wash your hands, put on your mask. Wash your hands, put on a visor. Wash your hands, put on your gloves,” Langille said.
In a day, Langille estimates he washes his hands at least 40 times.
“I was noticing that the spot where my wedding ring was, my skin has started to crack and peel a little bit because it was used to being covered,” Langille said.
Bathroom breaks? Forget about it. They’re too much of a hassle, he says.
Because of the difficult process, Langille says all the regular daily breaks — including lunch — have been grouped together to be taken between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“If you have to go to the bathroom at 10 a.m., well, you’ll just have to hold on to it for a while,” Langille said.
Avoiding touching his face is the hardest thing in Langille’s routine, he says.
“And even the mask: I wear glasses, and with the visor, it’s just an ordeal to try to adjust it a little bit. You have to be so careful to not contaminate yourself,” he explained.
But according to Langille, the biggest challenge is not any of the above. It’s the constant change in protocols.
“From one day to the next, you’re not sure what’s going to change. The biggest issue is wondering what’s happening next, what you’re going to be allowed to do and what you’re not going to be allowed to do,” he said.
There is also a constant change in workplaces, according to Langille.
In the past week, Langille says he has been transferred to the Manoir Verdun CHSLD and then to the Yvon Brunet CHSLD in Ville-Émard, Que.
While Langille is working on the front lines, he wants people to know that everyone has the power to contribute to seeing the end of the pandemic.
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