Honoring Heroic N.J. Nurses in the Pandemic: Rachel Koshy

Rachel Koshy DNP, ANP, NP-C, RN, NJSNA
Region 1 member, is a Supervisory APN in
the Observation Unit at University Hospital of New
Jersey in Newark. As the number of observation
patients decreased, Rachel and the other APNs were
relocated to Fast Track ED or the pandemic tent. According
to Rachel, the Emergency Department at University
Hospital does not look familiar. With increasing
patients with upper respiratory infections coming to
the ED, a pandemic clinic was started in the main ED.

Every patient that comes to the tent or the ED is sad,
with a heavy heart, some with their eyes filled with
tears until they are proven negative.

Using the PPE appropriately is particularly
important to prevent the COVID-19 illness.

As staff have become sick with COVID-19, there
was a lot of confusion, fear and sadness among the
employees as well as the patients. Rachel’s family is
scared to death when she leaves for work. She tries
to comfort her family telling them, “We wear PPE
and we are the safest people in the hospital.” Rachel
explains how she finds comfort, “I go to the hospital
praying to help me do my job to the fullest, to help me
to be compassionate to the needs of others, and help
my family, my fellow nurses, all healthcare workers to
get through this disaster without compromising any
more lives.”