COVID Champions: Dr. Becky LaMay graduated from UMass right into the COVID fight
Photo | Courtesy of Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Becky LaMay, DNP, AGACNP-BC, neurosurgery nurse practitioner at Massachusetts General Hospital
- Dr. Becky LaMay, DNP, AGACNP-BC
- Neurosurgery nurse practitioner
- Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston
- 2020 graduate of UMass Medical School Graduate School of Nursing
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The coronavirus pandemic has not been an easy thing for people to experience, especially for those who had to watch it unfold firsthand. For Dr. Becky LaMay, seeing the effects of COVID-19 was just part of her job.
After having back surgery and seeing how the medical professionals around her were so vital to her recovery, LaMay was inspired and decided to go into medicine to be a nurse practitioner, landing at UMass Medical School in Worcester.
After watching the pandemic unfold in March, LaMay graduated from the UMass Graduate School of Nursing in May and immediately began caring for COVID-19 patients in an intensive care unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where she already worked as a nurse prior to the pandemic.
LaMay said what got her through the trying time was the camaraderie she developed with her co-workers and a tremendous amount of perseverance.
“It was scary because none of us really knew what we were dealing with and none of us knew if we were going to bring it home to our families, if we were going to get sick. There was a lot of uncertainty,” said LaMay of the first experiences with COVID.
When many of the pop-up ICUs started to close around Massachusetts as the spring surge died down, LaMay moved on to become a nurse practitioner. Now LaMay is working as a neurosurgery nurse practitioner where no day is quite the same.
While she no longer is dealing with pandemic up close and personal, she is still seeing the effects of it. LaMay said patients who are coming in had delayed their care due to COVID and now are sicker than they would have been if they had come in earlier, which is challenging for severe cases.
However, even in her new role, a feeling of uncertainty remains, especially with the new surge in cases being seen Massachusetts and around the nation. While COVID has become a part of life, LaMay said she could be sent out to work with the pandemic again, only this time as a nurse practitioner rather than a nurse.
For now, LeMay is focusing on her day-to-day working with neurosurgery patients. She has an important message for those who are hesitant to come in whether it be because of the pandemic or other reasons.
“We are encouraging people to come in as soon as they notice that something is wrong,” she said. “That what’s really important for people to know is that we have safety measures in place at the hospital; and it’s really important to not delay care because we can keep you safe from COVID, but if your medical condition gets worse, then it’s tougher to deal with.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly said LaMay graduated early this spring. UMass Medical School did have some students graduate early, but not in its Graduate School of Nursing.
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