Essential workers: Amy Anderson

Amy Anderson became a nurse nine years ago after years of running a ballet studio. Since then, she’s taken on many roles – from cardiac to hospice care. Most recently, she has served as an educator for Genesis Medical Center on a unit that serves patients who have cardiac challenges or who are held for observation.

Her work focuses on ensuring that fellow staff members are up-to-date on practices and procedures to best serve patients. In this time of COVID-19, that can be a tricky task – new information and guidance can come one, two, three, or more times a day.

She strives to keep a positive outlook. “I work to keep everyone reassured because so much is unknown,” she said.

Her mom, Sue Anderson, has a goal of making 1,000 cloth masks for medical professionals with a dozen of her friends. Amy feels really supported by that, and by her entire family.

She has felt the impact the disease is having. A cruise to the Bahamas planned for April is postponed. She had serious conversations with her parents and children about reducing the chances the virus will impact her family – no more visits to her parents’ house, and who will go where if one of them becomes ill.

“That’s one of the hardest conversations I’ve had to have with my parents,” she said.