For the last year, Robina Suri has had the same morning routine: drink coffee, check Facebook, peruse Amazon. Maybe buy some jewelry. After working more than two decades as a behavioral health and medical-surgical nurse, it was the relaxing schedule she felt she’d earned. She stopped working in 2018, finally filing for social security in February 2020. Her official retirement was set to begin April 21 — her 62nd birthday.
Then, a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic struck.
As COVID-19 began spreading across the country, Suri, who lives in Van Nuys, California, tossed aside retirement plans and went back to school. She completed 30 hours of continuing education online to keep her nursing license active. Navigating online courses was tough, she said, but worth it.
“I’m worried about what’s going on,” Suri said. “But I’m ready to get back in if it gets bad.”
Suri isn’t alone...