Nurses praised as ‘the heroes of health care’
Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union says nurses face potential danger every day
Wearing a face mask for 12 or 14 hours can be hot and uncomfortable, but what nurses really hate is how the masks hide the reassuring smiles for their patients.
Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union (NSNU) President Janet Hazelton says it’s never been more important to appreciate the “knowledge, compassion and strength” of the province’s nurses, calling them “the nucleus of our healthcare system.”
“It takes a team of healthcare workers, but at three in the morning it’s the nurses who are there caring for patients,” says Hazelton. “Nurses are committed to doing the very best for every single patient — 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They really and truly are the heroes of healthcare.”
NSNU represents more than 7,500 nurses across Nova Scotia, including Registered Nurses (RNS), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNS) and VON nurses. The profession has always had risks, but Hazelton says the COVID-19 pandemic has been painfully highlighting the day-to-day occupational hazards of being a nurse.
Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) workers Kristen Beaton and Heather O’brien were killed in the April 19 shootings that left 23 dead across Nova Scotia. In an emotional Facebook post, Beaton’s husband, Nick, described how she “cried every day” before and after work because she was scared to bring COVID-19 home to him and their son.
Beaton was allotted just two face masks per shift and often had to reuse them. Her husband has been urging people to fight for proper access to PPE (personal protective equipment) and Hazelton says his ability to articulate his late wife’s fears has been “very powerful.”
“He’s made many people stop and think ‘That’s not right,’ because it isn’t. We have nurses and caregivers going into homes every single day, not knowing what dangers might be waiting on the other side of the door,” says Hazelton.
“We never know if we’re going to encounter a patient with a contagious disease or a violent patient or a patient we’ll be sitting with while they die. It’s important for people to see the resilience and strength that nurses need every day to get up and go to work.”
Hazelton says the pandemic has also reinforced the staffing problems in long-term care facilities, and it’s something that must be “seriously evaluated” once COVID-19 isn’t such an immediate threat.
The trouble, Hazelton says, is that the residents’ needs have changed but the staffing numbers have only gotten worse.
In 2016, NSNU published a report called Broken Homes, identifying concerns around staffing in long-term care facilities. Back in the ’90s, seniors were moving into long-term care facilities while they were still driving their own vehicles and running around town on errands. Twenty-five years later, Hazelton says they’re moving in at older ages and depend heavily on nurses for day-to-day care.
Despite the current conditions, Hazelton says nurses are bravely doing everything they can to care for residents in long-term care facilities. When a large Halifax facility battling an outbreak asked for volunteers to help with their staffing crisis, Hazelton says nurses from across the province courageously stepped up.
She adds that while nursing is physically and emotionally draining, it’s also “extremely rewarding” to be a part of major milestones — getting to welcome babies into the world and hold people’s hands as they die.
National Nursing Week will look very different this year, since there won’t be any celebratory teas, lunches or after-work dinners reuniting with former nursing colleagues.
Instead, Hazelton urges people to take the virus seriously and “follow all of the rules” so we don’t overload the healthcare system with too many cases. She’s concerned that as the weather gets nicer, Nova Scotians are going to be more inclined to “cheat” by gathering outdoors with friends and family.
“If you really do appreciate what nurses are doing, you can’t be reckless,” says Hazelton. “You need to respect the rules, count your blessings and stay home.”