September 15, 2020

Victoria Orlando is a third-year veterinary student at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. In her limited free time, she is also a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard, which deployed this spring as part of a Joint Force Medical Strike Team to assist with COVID-19–related shortages at a nursing facility. Orlando served as a certified nursing assistant helping care for residents, many of whom had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

JAVMA News spoke with Orlando about her experience and what the transition back to veterinary college was like. The responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Q. What made you want to go to veterinary college?

A. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. For me, I wanted to be one because I love people. I love helping people, and to me, the best way to help people is through the care of their animals. But I also knew I wanted to be in the military, so I became a member of the National Guard after I graduated high school.

I went to Pennsylvania State University for my undergraduate degree, and I was on the fence about going to veterinary school because of the student debt load. I figured I would go into pet nutrition, but I applied to LMU, and I got in on my first application cycle.

Q. What was your experience being deployed at a nursing facility?

A. I got the phone call to be ready to be deployed in April.

We were told we were going to help in a nursing facility where a lot of staff had tested positive for COVID-19 or weren’t comfortable going to work.

I think there were about 12 of us there. We were split up, and my partner and I were in a rehabilitation wing. We checked vitals, provided patients with showers, and helped staff catch up.

The nursing home was struggling. We were there for about two weeks, and then we were sent home, and we went into quarantine.

Q. Was it hard to transition back to your clinical rotations?

A. It was difficult. I love my program because they teach us a lot about communication and empathy, but I made these very intense relationships with these residents. And our leaving was abrupt. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. One minute, I was giving someone a shower, and then the next, I was talking about vaccine schedules at LMU.

Q. What did you learn from this experience?

A. It was an eye-opener. I am thankful for the experience. It makes me think of volunteering at nursing homes in the future.

This experience will make me better, more empathetic, and more willing to make connections with people. Talking to someone can change their whole day, and I want to take that into practice with me.

Q. What do you want people to know?

A. My team was exposed to COVID-19–positive patients but had personal protective equipment, and still, about 70% of our team tested positive for the virus and are still recovering.

When people are talking about COVID-19, I want to shake them because they don’t realize how difficult it is.

Try to do your part. Veterinarians are medical professionals. Speak up. This is not a time to be callous.

Wear a mask, people are suffering.