Despite stress, nurses show up
Re: Hospitals fear a surge of younger patients, ICU cases as COVID's third wave starts to break, March 19.
Would you want to be a nursing student during COVID-19? I am one and these are my experiences during my final clinical placement in a high-risk environment.
I have seen the impact on registered nurses' mental and physical health. I can see the tired, exhausted look on their faces. I have witnessed staff shortages, increased patient assignments, co-worker harassment, missed breaks, denied vacation requests and overtime simply to provide minimal staffing quota.
I have donned and doffed my personal protective equipment since the beginning of the pandemic more times than I can count. It has kept my patients, my family, the people I worked with and me safe.
During the second portion of my clinical rotation, I experienced a COVID -19 outbreak. I have provided care for more than one patient that has tested positive. I have been swabbed every five days, and all my swabs have come back negative. I received the first dose of my vaccination, and like many other health-care workers, had my second dose rescheduled for 16 weeks later.
The primary focus of a nurse is the patient, and despite all these obstacles, I witnessed excellent patient care. In fact, I was a part of the team and it confirmed to me that I have chosen the right profession. Despite everything, nurses are always showing up for their patients.
Meanwhile, they are experiencing extreme stress, which is contributing to the environment I see today. I fear for their health and safety a year into this pandemic. As Ontario goes into its third lockdown, things need to change. Nurses need more support, and their mental and physical health needs to be addressed. Nurses need more than a one-per-cent wage increase, or four months of pandemic/hazard pay because, over a year later, the pandemic has now worsened.
Lauren Marshall, uOttawa nursing student, Petawawa