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Essential Owls: Alex Miller
7/22/2020 11:59:00 AM | Softball
"Essential Owls" is a series of features highlighting former FAU student-athletes who are working in a host of professions attempting to stem the impact of the COVID-19 virus.
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The next subject of our series, "Essential Owls," is focused on former FAU football player Alex Miller, a nurse that began assisting in the fight against COVID-19 iat the Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
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Shortly after graduation in May of 2018, Alex Miller scored her dream job working as a nurse for the Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. She was working in the progressive cardiac care unit where she saw several challenges, but nothing compared to what she would face two years later in March of 2020. Â
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When COVID-19 hit, Miller's whole life was affected. "Every day is something new," said Miller. "Especially at the beginning of the outbreak, there was a lot of maneuvering trying to figure out new protocols. Thankfully we have a system in place now, but we definitely saw a lot of changes at work and obviously being at home locked down was a big change as well because I was not able to go to clinicals and attend classes anymore. I went from going 100% to almost a standstill so it was a big change."
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Luckily, the patients that Miller worked on did not have cases of the virus, but she still was in close contact and had to interact with coworkers who were affected during this time.
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"When we first started getting COVID patients into the hospital, we had a couple of potential COVID patients on our floor before they started moving them into one floor, so it was always very nerve-racking coming into work, especially at the beginning where you did not know if that person was positive or negative and you did not know if you would take that home to your loved ones and your family. They would float us to the COVID floor when they are in need, so myself and other people on the floor have taken care of COVID-positive patients. It is nerve-racking and scary but, I feel if we follow the proper protocols and we are as safe as we can be, then we are doing our best."
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The four-year catcher for the Owls appeared in 197 games with 142 hits, 15 doubles, and six triples during her time in an FAU uniform. Spending so much time on the field, Miller has been able to focus and transition from her experiments on the field to everyday life in the hospital.
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"Teamwork is the biggest thing I use on a day to day, obviously coming from the softball field where we all loved each other and we're great teammates and great friends," expressed Miller. "Now I translate that to work where I love my coworkers and I love everyone I work with. It is nice to have a different sort of team, but it is the same feeling."
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While on the softball field, you have to keep your composure during tough situations and non-routine plays. Those scenarios can be easily translated into nursing and your daily life.
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"As a senior, I was not as nervous which came with experience over the course of my four years at FAU," said Miller. "Obviously my first day I was nervous just like I was my first day at the hospital, but now I feel like I have a little more experience and am more capable and able to deal with emergencies when they come."
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Miller has always said her ambitions such as playing collegiate softball was a dream, and getting a career right off the bat doing her dream job, but what is next for Alex Miller?
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"Hopefully I will be a nurse practitioner within the coming two years," Miller concluded. "I hope to be working in a family practice connecting with my patients a little more personally than in the hospital. I hope to have a family and a house, so all my dreams look a little bit different than when I was at FAU, but I feel like everything has set me up for success."
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The next subject of our series, "Essential Owls," is focused on former FAU football player Alex Miller, a nurse that began assisting in the fight against COVID-19 iat the Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Â
Alex Miller
Shortly after graduation in May of 2018, Alex Miller scored her dream job working as a nurse for the Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. She was working in the progressive cardiac care unit where she saw several challenges, but nothing compared to what she would face two years later in March of 2020. Â
Â
When COVID-19 hit, Miller's whole life was affected. "Every day is something new," said Miller. "Especially at the beginning of the outbreak, there was a lot of maneuvering trying to figure out new protocols. Thankfully we have a system in place now, but we definitely saw a lot of changes at work and obviously being at home locked down was a big change as well because I was not able to go to clinicals and attend classes anymore. I went from going 100% to almost a standstill so it was a big change."
Â
Luckily, the patients that Miller worked on did not have cases of the virus, but she still was in close contact and had to interact with coworkers who were affected during this time.
Â
"When we first started getting COVID patients into the hospital, we had a couple of potential COVID patients on our floor before they started moving them into one floor, so it was always very nerve-racking coming into work, especially at the beginning where you did not know if that person was positive or negative and you did not know if you would take that home to your loved ones and your family. They would float us to the COVID floor when they are in need, so myself and other people on the floor have taken care of COVID-positive patients. It is nerve-racking and scary but, I feel if we follow the proper protocols and we are as safe as we can be, then we are doing our best."
Â
The four-year catcher for the Owls appeared in 197 games with 142 hits, 15 doubles, and six triples during her time in an FAU uniform. Spending so much time on the field, Miller has been able to focus and transition from her experiments on the field to everyday life in the hospital.
Â
"Teamwork is the biggest thing I use on a day to day, obviously coming from the softball field where we all loved each other and we're great teammates and great friends," expressed Miller. "Now I translate that to work where I love my coworkers and I love everyone I work with. It is nice to have a different sort of team, but it is the same feeling."
Â
While on the softball field, you have to keep your composure during tough situations and non-routine plays. Those scenarios can be easily translated into nursing and your daily life.
Â
"As a senior, I was not as nervous which came with experience over the course of my four years at FAU," said Miller. "Obviously my first day I was nervous just like I was my first day at the hospital, but now I feel like I have a little more experience and am more capable and able to deal with emergencies when they come."
Â
Miller has always said her ambitions such as playing collegiate softball was a dream, and getting a career right off the bat doing her dream job, but what is next for Alex Miller?
Â
"Hopefully I will be a nurse practitioner within the coming two years," Miller concluded. "I hope to be working in a family practice connecting with my patients a little more personally than in the hospital. I hope to have a family and a house, so all my dreams look a little bit different than when I was at FAU, but I feel like everything has set me up for success."
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