While millions of people are under shelter-in-place ordinances and our daily lives have changed as we know them; healthcare workers are still on the frontlines, risking it all to help fight COVID-19. Not only are they putting their lives at risk, they’re also sacrificing time with their family, their mental and physical health, and so much more. We spoke with healthcare heroes from the Posh community on how this global health crisis has affected their work and their daily lives, and how you can help.
Hi! I’m Sharon Rose Pangilinan and my closet name is @noy2312. I’ve been on Poshmark for 7 years now and am still going strong! I’m originally from the Philippines and migrated to the United States in 1994. I’ve been a nurse since 1989 and have experience in the fields of Home Health, Hemodialysis, Medical-Surgical, Trauma and now, Preoperative and Postoperative Care Nursing.
What is your profession and how has the COVID-19 crisis affected your day-to-day?
I’m a registered nurse at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Hospital and COVID-19 has interrupted our lives tremendously. I work at Sharp Surgery Center, an outpatient center where patients come in for surgery, then go home right after. When the California Surgeon General ordered all elective surgery to be canceled, our department was the first to be impacted, with all surgeries canceled and a lot of us nurses displaced. Fortunately, I was able to secure some days to work in the main Post-Anesthesia Care Unit after the second week. But, everything is still a wait and see on a “day-to-day basis” if I need to work the next day. There is no guarantee. When they need me, they’ll call. There’s no certainty and that’s what’s scary! But I believe that God is in control and He will provide for our needs. So in spite of all this, I’m calm and collected.
How do you balance Poshing in this “new reality”?
Poshmark has given me an outlet. It is my “de-stressor” next to prayer and meditation. I work 8 hours and some days, 12 hours. When I get up in the morning, I check the app and if there are sales, I pack the item and get it ready for drop off. I spend 15 minutes sharing my closet and then get ready for work. Then during lunch break, I’ll share other closets. When I get home, after dinner, I’ll try to post at least 3-5 items per day to keep my closet current. I believe, based on my experience, that listing and posting drives sales together with sharing! It never fails! Being off work for the past few days has given me time to fully take care of my Poshmark closet and I’m spring cleaning as we speak! Sales are steady and it just goes to show that even though we are all living through this “new reality”, men and women are still shopping and thanks to Poshmark—we sellers have a platform to sell!
If you have a few words of advice on how the community can help, what are they?
This Coronavirus is not a joke or a hoax. It’s real, and I’ve seen patients and nurses affected—one fighting for their life and the other trying to keep them alive. From this experience, just obey the ordinance to stay home, keep your distance, wash your hands, and stay healthy! Make use of this time to refresh and improve or transform your Poshmark closet. There’s a reason why we are sellers and buyers at the same time. We are meant to support one another and this platform has made it happen for us all!
What are some of the adjustments you’ve made at home and to your daily schedule/routine?
We’ve started to save our money, which has made us tighten our budget. It’s too early to tell how this situation will affect our economy, but it’s better to be wise and save now than regret it later. Also, with rising cases of COVID-19 patients, my husband, Gerald, is a Respiratory Therapist in a VA Hospital and I make sure that when we both get home, we go straight into the shower so we don’t spread the virus around the family. This situation may have affected us but it has made our family closer, having meals together and we actually see each other more! It’s a blessing more than anything.
What are the things you love about your job?
I love my patients! They may come from different walks of life but one thing they all have in common is that they need compassion, caring, and empathy. Nursing is not just giving pain medicine or answering the call light. It’s “putting one’s self” in their shoes, and giving them “what you would want to be given”. If I’ve done that, I’ve done my job.
Hey Posh Fam! My name is Dr. Chioma Kas-Osoka and my closet name is @chichi1007. I am originally from San Jose, California. I have been on Poshmark since March 2014, however, this year is when I began to actively and consistently engage in the Poshmark community.
What is your profession and how has the COVID-19 crisis affected your day-to-day?
I serve as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow for the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance’s Community Engaged Research Core. Essentially, I am a public health researcher who is being trained and mentored to further develop clinical research skills. I took on this role early this year after graduating with my PhD in Health Promotion and Behavior from the University of Georgia in May 2019. My research focuses on identifying ways to reduce sexual health disparities experienced by adolescents and young adults in marginalized populations.
I was two months into my new job when the pandemic hit. I hadn’t even completely settled into my office when things changed. Thankfully, I am in a position where the transition to work from home was not exceptionally difficult. Being a public health researcher requires that I spend a lot of time reading articles, writing manuscripts, and presenting research findings at conferences. Most of this can be done from home, but conference presentations and conducting research with others has halted for now.
How do you balance Poshing in this “new reality”?
For me, Poshmark is a great money-making hobby. I have fun selling on this platform and I am constantly learning new things. I enjoy meeting new people and learning about their experiences, and Poshmark creates opportunities to do that in a virtual setting. I have had more time to engage with the Poshmark community during this quarantine. I’ve interacted with members during Sharing Power Hour and participated in various other Instagram events. I also find myself sharing my closet and other closets more often than before. I will say that I used to drive to the post office to drop off packages a few times a week. Now, I use outgoing mail in my complex and request pick-ups for larger packages.
If you have a few words of advice on how the community can help, what are they?
The best advice I can give is WASH YOUR HANDS AND STAY HOME. For those of us that can be at home, it’s important that we protect the health of those who are not able to. Follow the guidelines presented by the CDC and do your best to stay safe during this time. Also, please take care of yourself: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Eat right, drink water, meditate, get some Vitamin D, etc. We are of no use to anyone if we are not healthy ourselves. Take some time to yourself, whether that is daily or once a week. The same grace you extend to others, extend to yourself. We are human. We will not get everything done all the time. AND THAT IS OK! Finally, this is just a personal preference, but limit the amount of news you watch. It is perfectly acceptable to step away for a while.
What are the things you love about your job?
I love that I have a lot of flexibility and freedom in my work schedule. I love that I am able to use the knowledge I have acquired over the years to develop strategies that can help minimize negative health outcomes for underserved populations. Most importantly, I love that I am able to work alongside amazing men and women who are making strides in public health research.
Hi I’m Misty, or @mpfp0703, and I’ve been on Poshmark for a year and a half.
What is your profession and how has the COVID-19 crisis affected your day-to-day?
I’m a nurse and COVID-19 has changed everything about my day-to-day routine. The way we provide care to patients has literally changed overnight. Patients can’t look directly into my eyes, because I’m wearing a shield, they can’t see my smile because I’m wearing a mask. They can’t feel my embrace because I’m trying to maintain as much social distance as possible. It’s devastating. Those are all the reasons I love being a nurse. Patients are scared, healthcare workers are scared. The world is scared.
How do you balance Poshing in this “new reality”?
I use Poshmark as my escape. It’s my creative outlet that brings me so much joy.
If you have a few words of advice on how the community can help, what are they?
If you have any PPE supplies please donate them to your local hospital, nursing homes, or urgent care facilities.
What are some of the adjustments you’ve made at home and to your daily schedule/routine?
When I get home from work, I can’t hug my kids or kiss my husband. I have to disrobe in my garage, immediately wash all my clothes, shower, and sanitize my phone and any other personal items I’ve used at work before I can even say hello to my family. My 86-year-old mother-in-law who suffers with Alzheimer’s lives with us and we have implemented absolutely no visitors to our home at this time. She asks for her family daily. My family does not leave the house and we have a designated person who gets all the grocery pickups. We are trying our best to do what’s right at this time.
What are the things you love about your job?
When I became a nurse I knew I wanted to serve others. My favorite part is seeing the healing. I take care of my patients and the reward comes when they are healed. It’s not always a physical healing, sometimes there are patients who can’t be physically healed, but there is almost always emotional or spiritual healing in every patient. That’s what I love.