Ian Ayer is a pre-med biomedical science: medical and veterinary sciences major from Nashua, New Hampshire.
Ian: As a tester, I collect samples by swabbing the inside of patients' nostrils. I do not only work at UNH Durham, but also UNH Manchester, UNH Law, New England College in Henniker, and Franklin Pierce University in Rindge.
Ian: I applied for this job because I wanted to do my part to help fight this pandemic. As a pre-medical student, I felt sidelined sitting at home during the early days of the pandemic watching professionals in the field making sacrifices and risking their health and lives to help those afflicted with the virus. Doing my part by staying home and social distancing was not enough for me.
When I heard ConvenientMD was hiring UNH students to help with their university testing programs, I was ecstatic. I applied immediately upon reading the email, glad to finally find a way I could help fight the pandemic and make sure UNH could open safely this fall.
Ian: Compassion and empathy go a long way. Even though most of my interactions with patients are very brief, showing a little compassion or empathy to the patient can not only help relieve their anxiety about the procedure, but can also brighten their day.
"Doing my part by staying home and social distancing was not enough for me. When I heard ConvenientMD was hiring UNH students to help with their university testing programs, I was ecstatic."
It goes the other way too, when someone thanks you for your work, or even just asks how your day is going. It helps puts a smile on your face, even on the hardest of days. In these times it is important to realize that we are all in the same boat. Now more than ever it is essential we make trivial sacrifices to ensure the well-being of ourselves, our loved ones, and our community.
Ian: As an aspiring doctor, there is no other place for me than being on the front lines of the pandemic. It brings me great satisfaction to know I am helping humanity curb the spread of COVID-19 and protecting my fellow Granite Staters.
Before I was hired for this position, I felt guilty that I was not doing anything besides the bare minimum of social distancing to fight COVID-19. I am proud to be a tester, but still humbled by the nurses and doctors giving so much more than I. Even if I was not offered pay, I would gladly volunteer to be a tester, that is how meaningful being on the front lines is to me.
Ian: Working as a COVID tester has given me hands-on experience working with patients and given me the opportunity to meet many like-minded people.
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