Dr. Elizabeth Albright, (left) a 2010 graduate of Ferris State University's College
of Arts and Sciences in Applied Biology/Pre-Medicine is part of the COVID-19 response
team at Metro Health's Family Practice office in Caledonia and at Sparrow Clinton
Hospital's Emergency Room, (from left) Ferris Nursing alumna Kylie Conrad (2017) and
Autumn Doody (2019) serve with PA-C David Boedeker, a 2008 graduate of Ferris Health
Care Systems Administration and 2016 Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate Nikki
Hudson. It is anticipated that the peak of COVID-19 cases in Michigan will peak near
the middle of April.Twelve-hour-plus days and unwavering attention to the latest recommendations for patient and personal care during the COVID-19 pandemic are daily considerations for Ferris State University alumni working as professionals for health care providers in Mid-Michigan and West Michigan.
Dr. Elizabeth Albright, who graduated from Ferris’ College of Arts, Sciences and Education
in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Biology with a Pre-Medicine concentration,
is on the medical staff at Metro Health’s Primary Care office in Caledonia.
“There are 14 Metro Health sites in the greater Grand Rapids area and when a potential
respiratory care case is identified they are directed to our office or one of two
others in the system,” Albright said. “In this response plan, I began as the designated
physician for patients with respiratory illness. As the caseload for these patients
grew, it has become a team effort.”
Albright said that the last three weeks have brought about a radical shift in patient
contact methodology. She added that her workplace serves as a triage site. That adjustment
has involved great preparation as predictive models indicate the pandemic’s peak is
expected late in the first full week of April, she added.
“The first week of Metro Health’s response plan, I was working 13-to 14-hour days,”
Albright said. “There has been kind of a pall as we anticipate the work ahead, with
long days very likely to come as we respond during COVID-19’s regional peak.”
Albright said that bedside or examination room manner has gone virtual for patient
and medical staff safety.
“There is no comparison to what may have been seen as business as usual,” Albright
said. “I am taking phone calls or making video contact with patients while recognizing
that we are an important, and the potential last line of defense for our patient community.
Whenever possible, we are striving to provide our patients with the care and support
they need, without their being admitted to the hospital.”
Ferris alumni are also gathered and active at Sparrow Clinton Hospital’s emergency
room in St. Johns. Physician Assistant-Certified David Boedeker, a native of Eaton
Rapids, earned an Associate of Applied Sciences in Nuclear Medicine Technology, then
graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Care System Administration.
He said that every patient that arrives suffering from a stroke, broken bone or other
ailment is received as a potential COVID-19 carrier.
“Each day before my shift, I check all communications from Sparrow, because there
are frequent changes to our methods as they relate to patient contact, along with
information about personal protection equipment,” Boedeker said. “It was six weeks
ago that the operational shift began to take shape. If I, or any of our response team,
find themselves feeling ill, we all have to get tested before entering the ER, to
assure that we are well and ready for work.”
The Ferris connection in the Sparrow Clinton ER is magnified by the presence of Nikki
Hudson, Kylie Conrad and Autumn Doody, who earned their Bachelor of Science in Nursing
from the College of Health Professions in 2016, 2017 and 2019, respectively.
“Ours is a small emergency room,” Boedeker said. “We all were trained to work as teams,
focus on problem-solving and to be resilient. I never thought, 12 years ago, that
I would be a physician assistant, responding to a pandemic.”
Albright and Boedeker said that their service on the front lines of healthcare response
to COVID-19 is a demanding, but rewarding opportunity.
“When it comes down to it, this is why I got into medicine,” Albright said. “It is
part of the core of our mission to be of assistance, especially in circumstances like
these.”
“John Wayne’s quote, ‘Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway’ seems
to sum up what I am thinking these days,” Boedeker said. “I see this as a watershed
moment in my medical career.”