COVID-19: Tips for Healthcare Workers on the Front Lines

As cases of COVID-19 increase, health care workers are increasingly worried not only about their patients and their families but about becoming sick themselves. If you’re a health care worker on the frontlines of COVID-19, it is essential to take care of yourself — so you can take care of others. Read on for specific tips to help you cope with the challenges of delivering care during a pandemic.
Challenges unique to health care workers
Health care workers have unique responsibilities that may expose them to COVID-19, including:
- Triaging potentially infected people
- Performing interventions, often in less-controlled environments
Regardless of your role, the coronavirus-specific challenges are the same and include:
- Meeting the needs and demands of an increasing patient census
- Avoiding infection
- Providing both medical and emotional support to patients
- Balancing work and family responsibilities
- Addressing job-related stress and fear
Stress response to COVID-19
Given the challenges and uncertainty, it is common for health care workers to have both physical and emotional responses to the stress. They include:
Emotional symptoms
It is normal for you to feel:
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Frustration
- Guilt
- Irritability
- Lack of focus
- Sadness
Physical symptoms
You may experience these with or without emotional signs. They include:
- Chest tightness
- Exhaustion
- Gastrointestinal distress
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Pain
Coping tips for health care workers battling COVID-19
As a health care worker on the front lines of COVID-19, you play a noble role in caring for your community. It is essential for you to reduce the anxiety and fear you may feel with these four strategies:
Gain power through knowledge
- Learn as much about your role as possible to limit feelings of uncertainty
- Brush up on ancillary skills you may need when the surge hits
- Study and follow the protocols that have been established to keep you safe
Meet your emotional needs
- Know your limits and communicate with your supervisor if you have feelings of extreme exhaustion or depression
- Seek medical help if you are concerned because you made contact with a person who has COVID-19
- Balance work and family obligations — create new family routines and take breaks when necessary
Plan ahead
- Identify child care opportunities in the event you need them
- Find alternate accommodations should you become exposed
- Schedule regular meal breaks and social time
Control what you can
- Continue treating patients as you normally would until you are called upon for disaster relief
- Practice physical distancing while delivering high-quality care
- Follow all infection-control protocols
- Stay abreast of changes by following trusted sources
- Shift routine patient care to telemedicine, if possible
Need more coping strategies? Read our comprehensive guide to reducing anxiety and fear from COVID-19. And, stay up to date with coronavirus information from UCLA Health.
UCLA: The link to the coronavirus is in the CTA (next section)
Related Posts
My husband and I have seen Dr Day several times now. My first congratulations go to his parents, for they have raised a fine, caring [...]

https://youtu.be/3mgkWK0208c UCLA Health hosted a special virtual conversation on November 5, 2020, with Dr. Anthony Fauci, a world leader in infectious diseases and Director of the [...]
In June of 2020 I had heart surgery in Honolulu Hi. Soon there after I developed severe pain in my right leg, to painful to [...]
Recent Posts

Prior to her transplant, musician Chloe Temtchine would perform connected to an oxygen tank

Ask the Doctors finish their monthly letter columns by answering questions

Recognition keeps the hospital among an elite group of facilities across the nation