Jamie Corda ’17, Nursing

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, the reality of the illness still hasn’t hit home for many of us. However, for Endicott nursing alumna Jamie Corda ’17, she sees what the disease can do first hand on a daily basis and in early April, it became even more real for her as she was formally diagnosed herself.

“On April 2nd I was diagnosed with COVID-19,” Corda says. “Although it was a long month of recovery, I am very grateful to be here sharing my story. Being a nurse who works directly with COVID-19 makes it really hard for me because I know what the disease does first hand. It was very scary, but with the love and support from my friends, family, and co-workers, I am thankful to be recovered.”

Thankfully feeling better, Corda is currently continuing her work in the emergency department (ED) at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) in the newly created COVID-19 section. It’s been as busy as you can imagine, but the hardest part according to her has been keeping up with all the changes. “Each day we are faced with a new policy that we have to adapt to,” Corda says. “Everybody is still learning about COVID-19 and what interventions are best practice and will give the patient the best outcome.” Fortunately, there is no shortage of support from her team. She continues, “All nurses who are working one-on-one with this disease are seeing these changes first hand. I cannot thank my co-workers at BCH enough for the support and the strong teamwork that we have built together.”

While it was impossible to be 100% ready for all this pandemic has brought, Corda is thankful for what her Endicott experience prepared her for. “When I was a student, the nursing faculty at Endicott were absolutely amazing and supported all my needs,” she says. “The biggest thing that they always reminded me to do was be my best self no matter what the outcome is. That is something that I have carried with me through all of this chaos. Although we cannot control what the outcome of this pandemic is, I know that I am doing all that I can to help these sick patients and that is something that I will always remember.”

It wasn’t just in the classroom that Corda learned valuable lessons—she also gained much from being a student-athlete on the softball and field hockey teams. “All of my coaches were so supportive of my academic goals and encouraged me to be my best on and off the field. When I look back at my five years at Endicott, I remember championship days and supporting all the other student-athletes,” she says. “Most importantly I remember the lifelong friendships I have made, and the people who I can now call family. Endicott was the start to the best years of my life. I learned so much about who I am as a person and it inspired me to push myself like no other in my career.”

Now on the mend from COVID-19, Corda will continue her work in the ED and she has also set her sights on a new goal. “In order to honor all of what I have been through this year, I will be running the Boston Marathon in September 2020,” she says. “I will be running on behalf of my fellow frontline workers and those who are not here to share their COVID-19 story like me. Training for this marathon is going to take lots of hard work and dedication. Although my body isn't 100% after being sick, I know that I can accomplish this goal and it’s something I can look forward to.”