False negative

April 9, 2020 | Chicago | 30-39 years

I’m a nurse in an ER in real life, but I specialize in the care of those experiencing psychiatric emergency. Recently I cross trained to care for those seeking Covid testing and care. We recently implemented rapid testing in our ER. I dreamt that I incorrectly swabbed a fragile immunocompromised patient so they received a false negative. I went into their home in full protective gear crying telling the patient I needed to swab him again, but by the time I arrived the patient had already passed. The family was surrounding the patient crying and mourning the loss of their beloved family member. Waves of guilt washed over me as I stood in my full protective gear feeling absolutely laid bare.