Alex Charlton never hesitated.
Not even for a second.
The moment he found out about the shortage of healthcare professionals needed in New York due to the overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases, he knew he had to put his nursing degree to use.
So he asked his boss, Midwestern State head football coach Bill Maskill, for approval.
Wait, a college football coach with a nursing degree?
There can’t be many – if any – other resumes like his around the country, but Charlton’s unique skillset allowed him to do something during this global pandemic that he knew was especially needed in the city that never sleeps: help.
Maskill, of course, approved. So Charlton, a wide receivers graduate assistant for the Mustangs in Wichita Falls, packed a bag and traveled to New York on Friday. He had orientation at Mount Sinai Hospital on Monday and has his first of 4-straight 12-hour shifts in the emergency department beginning at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
“There are so many nurses out there doing this, so I’m just so happy to be a part of the thousands of healthcare workers out there doing this,” Charlton said.
Charlton saw that the nurse-to-patient ration in New York was 15-to-1, “which is not very safe.” So he knew he had to act and do so quickly.
“I just realized I had time on my hands because we weren’t going to be in the offices for football,” he said. “I just realized this was an opportunity for me to help people. It’s not just the patients you’re helping. You’re helping the doctors, the nurses and nurse’s assistants. They’re being over-worked and need help. When someone needs help, that’s an easy decision for me if I’m capable of helping.”
Reality set in for Charlton at orientation when he noticed how many Coronavirus patients were at Mount Sinai, one of the nation’s largest and most respected hospitals. Second thoughts were the furthest thing from his mind.
“I realize that I’m at a much higher risk of catching it,” he said. “I probably will just over time, one way or the other. Not necessarily because I did something wrong in the hospital. I just have a higher chance. But it just doesn’t bother me.
“I’ve had family members and people from around New York tell me that I’m risking my life. When someone tells you that you pause for a second, but then it just goes out the window. They just need help and it’s as simple as that. If you’re not going to help out then who is?”
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