Everyone knows, generally, about the grueling job, rough conditions, and valiant work by doctors, nurses, and aides on the frontlines of the fight to save lives from the coronavirus pandemic. Baltimore nurse Rosem Morton provides the details in her journal of eight days at the front.

At the hospital where Morton works, staff are balancing caring for patients with a limited supply of personal protective gear, while trying to keep track of shifting protocols. Morton, also a photographer and a recipient of a National Geographic Explorer grant, has been chronicling her day-to-day experiences. From being fit for a N95 mask to worrying about her hours, she and her colleagues are up close and personal with the virus every day. Read on