Interview with Melanie Lang, October 12, 2021

Partial Transcript: [Nick]: So Melanie, to start, when and where were you born?

Segment Synopsis: Melanie Lang, a student at Marquette, gives background information about her life and family. Growing up near a family farm, and living in a rural area, where she graduated high school with a class of 33. She talks about enjoying anatomy and physiology classes, alluding to that being a potential influencer on her potential career path.

Keywords: Background; Information; Parents; Rural

Subjects: Anatomy; Family; Marshfield, WI; School; Subject

Partial Transcript: [Nick]: So yeah, let's get into that. You talked about your mom also being a nurse, so what kind of inspired you to go into nursing, what made you decide to do that?

Segment Synopsis: Melanie clarifies her degree as a Biomedical Sciences, with an intention on going to PA (Physician's Assistant) School, but talks about her mother's compassion as a nurse, and learned that she too wanted to help people medically, but by taking it a step further and actually diagnosing patients. She also briefly talks about her experience as a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant), and how that has taught her a lot about caring for patients.

Keywords: Biomedical Sciences; Mother; Nursing; Physician's Assistant

Subjects: Career; Compassion; Family

Partial Transcript: [Nick]: Um, so how did you decide to come to Marquette?

Segment Synopsis: Lang goes through her life at Marquette, talking about why she came and her experience in college so far. She explains that COVID made life challenging, but she appreciates the experience that she has gotten from her program and her life in college so far.

Keywords: COVID; Health Sciences; Marquette University; Tutoring

Subjects: College; Milwaukee, WI; School

Partial Transcript: [Nick]: So kind of switching gears, when did you first hear of COVID?

Segment Synopsis: Lang goes through her first experiences with the COVID Pandemic, learning about it on spring break her freshman year, getting back home when "everything shut down." She had to move her stuff out of the dorm and move home for the remainder of the semester online. She began her work as a CNA during those months on the weekends from home, and found those initial months to be anxiety inducing, as they were preparing for the pandemic to hit Wisconsin.

Keywords: COVID; Certified Nursing Assistant; Hospital; Pandemic Response

Subjects: 2020s; 2021; COVID-19 Pandemic; Pandemic; Wisconsin

Partial Transcript: [Nick]: So, you were working as a CNA? [Melanie]: Yes. [Nick]: Could you explain what a CNA does?

Segment Synopsis: Lang goes through what a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is and does, highlighting their assisting nature with patient needs with tasks like checking vitals and bathroom needs, helping the nurses in whatever way she can. Another way they help is with emotional support of the patients, talking with them and helping them through problems.

Keywords: Certified Nursing Assistant; Helping; Hospital

Subjects: Class; Emotional Support; Job

Partial Transcript: [NIck]: Um, so let's jump into when you were a CNA, um, so were you a CNA during your freshman year as well?

Segment Synopsis: Lang talks about her work as a CNA through COVID. Towards August of that summer (2020), there was an explosion of COVID cases at the hospital, and she found herself working in the converted COVID wing, as they wanted the younger CNAs working there because of their better immune systems.

Keywords: COVID; Certified Nursing Assistant; Hopital; Nurse; Pandemic Response

Subjects: 2020; 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: [NIck]: So, you worked over that summer, and when was it like coming back to school, um when you were done being a CNA?

Segment Synopsis: Lang says she felt guilty after coming back to school after working at the "mess" of the hospital during COVID over the summer of 2020, not "using her skills at the front line." Once at school, she signed up to help with COVID testing, where randomly selected students would come into the Rec Center, and she would hold vials for people to spit into. She felt that through her job testing, she was at least "doing her part." She answers how different the two jobs were, with healthy college students versus patients infected with COVID.

Keywords: COVID; Certified Nursing Assistant; Hospital; Pandemic Response

Subjects: 2020; 2020s; COVID Testing; COVID-19 Pandemic; Pandemic; School

Partial Transcript: [Nick]: Um, so dealing with people kind of infected- we'll go back to the CNA, um so when dealing with people infected with COVID, were you ever scared?

Segment Synopsis: Lang talks about her fear going into and working in the ICU during COVID, highlighting jobs that she had to perform, like flipping patients over so that they could simply breathe. She also talks about the visitor restrictions for the hospital being one of the most difficult parts for them, as they could not be with their loved ones, so they could only interact with the overworked staff.

Keywords: COVID; Hospital; Pandemic Response; Patient Care; Prone

Subjects: 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: [Nick]: Um, so how do you think COVID is going to affect your career path from here on out? Um, did it change how you think about your career as a PA?

Segment Synopsis: Lang talks about how COVID has changed her conception about her future career choice. She talks about an inherent responsibility for those who "sign up" for a career as a Medical Professional to step up and help those in need.

Keywords: COVID; Medical Professional; Pandemic Response; Patient Care; Physician's Assistant; School

Subjects: 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic; Care; Career; Pandemic; Responsibility

Segment Synopsis: Lang talks about how COVID has and will impact life after 2020. She explains that in hospitals, masks became the "new normal," and that will not change in the future. Other changes she talks about is online life, as she believes that online meetings have the potential to become more widely used.

Partial Transcript: [Nick]: Um, so kind of some more wrap up questions, so what has COVID taught you?

Segment Synopsis: Lang comments on what COVID taught her, as she claims that it is important, as a CNA, to be there as much as possible for her patients, as she never knows their struggles, especially with visitation restrictions. She also comments on how medical staff and professionals have stepped up and served in the "crazy world" hospitals have become due to COVID, expanding on that when asked what her values were.

Keywords: COVID; Certified Nursing Assistant; Medical Professional; Pandemic Response

Subjects: COVID-19 Pandemic; Learning; Pandemic

Partial Transcript: [Nick]: Um, so at the Milwaukee County Historical Society, one of uh, our big things, obviously is telling stories through objects. So if you had one object to describe your life during the pandemic, what would it be?

Segment Synopsis: As for an object to describe her COVID experience, Lang chose an N95 mask, which at the start of COVID she had to wear for three days straight to work, explaining that she would have to bring it home in a Tupperware container. Towards the end of her tenure as a CNA, they were very plentiful, contrasting the two experiences.

Keywords: Artifact; COVID; Certified Nursing Assistant; Mask; N95 Facemask; Pandemic Response

Subjects: 2020s; COVID-19 Pandemic; Pandemic