Witnessing the Virus FirstHand
By Lauryn Starke
From working the night shift at the hospital to studying for the MCAT, to then taking care of his family, it seems like Tyler Van Orden never gets tired. Something always keeps him going:
“I’m not run-down because I know what I’m doing is important,” Tyler says.
Tyler’s motivation and work ethic can be tied to his tight-knit family. There’s joy in his voice when he talks about his parents, considering them his “best friends.” Tyler and his father have a special bond that’s grown even deeper since they began working together. Not only do they work at the same hospital, but when his father isn’t on the night shift, he’s also taking classes at Marist for his Master’s Degree.
Tyler credits his father as one of his biggest inspirations for both pursuing medicine and his life overall. “He taught me to work hard — He taught me to be a good man.”
When Tyler was young, his father was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. Tyler described it as a “death sentence.” Though his condition causes severe pain, he still manages to persevere and provide for his family. Tyler’s admiration for his dad is evident and he has adopted his work ethic. Tyler says his father never complains and never quits. Growing up, his father ignited a passion in Tyler to make a difference in the world.
This passion proved to be essential when COVID-19 hit in 2020.
When medical facilities across the country were overwhelmed with COVID-19 positive patients, Tyler was working full-time at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. In addition to working full-time as a medical scribe, Tyler was taking 18 credits at Marist and facilitated an independent research project.
When the pandemic hit in March, Tyler wasn’t very worried — but that changed fast. “The biggest thing was witnessing the virus firsthand,” he recalls.
As a medical scribe, Tyler is responsible for helping physicians document patient visits, which saves doctors valuable time. This allows doctors to spend more time tending to more patients. This job is especially critical in a pandemic which has left doctors overwhelmed with high volumes of patients. Tyler’s work ensures that patients are seen as soon as possible, receiving the best care possible.
Illustration by Jack Rader
At the height of the pandemic, Tyler spent as much time as he could at the hospital. Even though he had other responsibilities, Tyler believed working at the hospital was more important than anything else. He directs all the praise to his dedicated co-workers, commending them for all the sacrifices they’ve made to be there for their patients every day.
Dr. Cohen at Vassar is one of the physicians who supervises Tyler’s work. Though Dr. Cohen’s biggest priority is attending to his patients, he always finds time to ensure Tyler is learning as much as he can from the experience. Tyler has the utmost praise and respect for him, describing him as incredibly helpful, always willing to answer questions, and someone who genuinely cares about Tyler’s education.
The doctors and nurses aren’t the only people he’s learning from. Tyler has gained valuable lessons from his patients, too. Tyler recalls how a specific patient was given a devastating diagnosis. More than anything, Tyler wanted to help them, even if it was just making them smile. During their stay at the hospital, the patient's TV stopped working, so Tyler made it his “personal mission” to get it fixed. The patient meant so much to Tyler that he even sent them flowers just to make them smile during their recovery.
“It’s easy to get used to patients coming and leaving all the time, but that patient taught me how much we take for granted,” Tyler reflects.
But Tyler encountered his most important patients when his entire family became sick with COVID-19 last year.
The virus hit the Van Orden family right around Thanksgiving, in the middle of Tyler’s finals. His father was hit especially hard by the virus because of his pre-existing conditions and needed treatment in the hospital. Despite it being the busiest time of Tyler’s semester, he put all his energy into nursing his family back to health, even while he was also sick.
Relieved that his family fully recovered, Tyler says, “I’m very fortunate to come home to such a supportive family.”
Not only is Tyler incredibly close with his parents, but he has two younger brothers, Michael and Matthew, that complete their family dynamic. His youngest brother Michael is another large influence on Tyler’s life and has contributed significantly to his aspirations in medicine. Michael has autism, but according to Tyler, he’s never let that hold him back from living his life to the fullest.
“Michael has been a large inspiration,” Tyler shares. “He’s my boy, my best friend.”
Tyler says Michael has taught him to be understanding and empathetic, and to always remember “How blessed he is.” Tyler hopes that someday he can apply what he’s learned from Michael into treating patients similar to his brother.
Looking towards the future, Tyler will graduate in May and he hopes to attend medical school to study infectious diseases or emergency medicine. Tyler is currently working on a research project about antimicrobial effects on arctic fungi. He hopes this can provide new insight and information about evolutionary resistance to antibiotics.
Whatever avenue he decides to focus on within the medical profession, Tyler says, “I know that I’ll be making a difference in the medical field.”
FOR THE RECORD UNCUT
OBJECT PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography by Bobby Oliver
For this year’s project, we asked our Changemakers to bring items that had meaning to them to the shoot.
“My three items are a picture of my girlfriend Natalie and I, my scrub cap from working in the emergency department, and a Bang Energy Drink. The reason I brought the picture is because I cannot imagine working in the emergency department during COVID-19 and studying for classes without Natalie. Natalie has been there for me through everything! She even would let me call her at 3:00 AM when I would drive home from night shifts so I could have someone to talk to on my drive home. I truly don't know where I would be without her.
My scrub cap represents my time in the hospital. At the peak of the pandemic, all staff working in the emergency department had to wear extensive PPE and the scrub cap allowed me to place multiple straps and goggles on comfortably.
The Bang Energy Drink is what got me through working and doing my class work. Between working night shifts and going to the class the next day, I was very tired and these drinks provided me enough caffeine to get through my day and nights.”