Gajjar says she never would have imagined she'd serve on the frontlines of a global public health crisis. As a patient services representative, her typical day-to-day job involves working with patients pre-admission as well as during admission, transfer, and discharge from the hospital.
In the hospital at the onset of the pandemic, she saw firsthand what patients and their families were going through. So when her boss approached her with the opportunity to work as a COVID-19 tester, she immediately accepted, and was eager to take more direct action to help.
"Having the experience working with patients in the hospital, I want to use my expertise during this pandemic, especially since testing sites are understaffed," said Gajjar.
In her patient services job, Gajjar's shifts are from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on two weekdays, and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekends. On her other work days, she's on the COVID-19 testing shifts, usually from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. She enjoys meeting new coworkers and being challenged by the daily changes of the pandemic.
"I've learned to be more compassionate and understanding as I'm working with patients from all walks of life whose lives have dramatically changed due to the pandemic," Gajjar said. "As healthcare workers, you can't treat patients as statistics, you need to understand the faces and situations of the people that you are serving."