20200511162951815_HNKANTGU.jpg

Oh Young June, a nurse at Gachon University Gil Hospital in Incheon, has drawn pictures of medical personnel since Feb. 1, when he volunteered to care for patients at negative pressure isolation wards. "Medical personnel who work at negative pressure wards hold greater responsibility because the latter are run by the fewest staff to minimize the risk of infection," he said.


A nurse has drawn sketches of medical professionals working at negative pressure isolation wards housing patients stricken with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).


Oh Young June works at Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon.

Oh now works at the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) after having served at the wards. After the country's 12th confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported on Feb. 1, he volunteered to work at the wards. Oh has posted his drawings on his Facebook page "Nursing Story," which he opened in 2015, showing the daily routines of medical staffers who work with him.


20200511180024612_16C6F8IK.jpg

Even experienced medical professionals find it hard to care for patients while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent infection because of the added physical pressure. Oh said nurses have no time to rest and begin working with towels covering their heads after taking off their PPE.


Oh's sketches depict medical staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and their shining eyes convey their wish to better care for their patients despite fatigue. His drawings have captured interest from online users as well as foreign media.


The Los Angeles Times on April 9 covered Oh's work in the article "An ICU nurse sketches the heroes and fighters inside a coronavirus isolation ward," putting his drawings on the front page.


Dubbing him "a nurse who draws heroes and fighters," the article said about his drawings, "They are images that take shape during the days and nights of his shifts as an ICU nurse at a hospital in Incheon, a South Korean port city about an hour west of Seoul."

Sporting a shyness after hearing that international media have covered his drawings, Oh said, "I believe that this has provided a good opportunity to spread images of Korean nurses in the fight against COVID-19."


20200511180056173_QU0HOJKQ.jpg

A medical worker inside a negative pressure isolation ward communicates with co-workers by writing on the window to minimize the possibility of infection.


Oh's artistic background explains why he started his own Facebook page.


A Korean painting major in college, he said he always thought of the image of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, whom he first heard about in a book as a child. After graduating from university, however, he decided to become a nurse, not a painter.


Having watched co-workers looking after patients for three years, he began to draw pictures of them and eventually uploaded them on his Facebook page.


"I wish to improve the stereotypical image of nurses by vividly drawing their true selves in a realistic fashion," he said.


"I will continue to update stories on Korean nurses, especially those who work at ICUs," Oh said, adding, "I hope my paintings can elicit empathy for many nurses out there and help heal their minds."


20200511180149239_YRBIIY4Y.jpg

Oh said nurses who care for COVID-19 patients at negative pressure isolation wards are carrying on the tradition of Florence Nightingale in that they not only care for the patients but also feel their pain.


Korea.net