Alumna and nurse practitioner Jessica Friley Ensley is currently featured in the Tennessee Tribune sharing her experience after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccination against COVID-19 in the recent article entitled “Saluting One of Tennessee’s Essential Workers: Nurse Practitioner Shares Importance of Getting Vaccinated.”
In her feature article, Ensley shares the challenges and circumstances that come with being a healthcare worker. She currently works at the Nashville Centennial Hospital where she courageously sees and assists patients of all ethnicities and ages fighting the virus. She explained, “Black people are more likely to die from COVID, and it’s my hope that seeing a Black person getting vaccinated will encourage some trust in science and the medical community.”
Since COVID struck early last year, Ensley has been adhering to a safety routine to protect her husband when she comes home from work. While taking this precaution every day, Ensley shares that she decided to get the vaccine because she exposes her husband often, she hasn’t hugged her family in nearly a year, she misses choir rehearsal and going to church and she has experienced personal loss.
“My coworkers and I have been fighting this for a long time, and some have contracted COVID—we’ve been lucky everyone has recovered. Tough decisions are being made because there aren’t enough ventilators or ECMO,” she said. “It’s been a challenging 10 months, and there are difficult days ahead. This moment gave me a glimmer of hope. I’m happy to keep anyone interested updated. Please wear your mask and keep safe distance. We’ll get through this together.”
To read more about Ensley’s statement and experience working in healthcare amidst a pandemic, visit the Tennessee Tribune.
