My experience working in a Covid-19 environment has been both very interesting and emotional. I worked on a Covid ward for my first, year two clinical placement. Although the patients were a step down from intensive care, patients were still testing positive for the virus. On the ward, staff wore facial masks and visors and only entering the side rooms did we wear the full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). I felt very apprehensive, yet a sense of pride, because I was involved in helping patients that were so poorly and unable to communicate effectively.
This was very challenging as I had to put my skills of year one as a student nurse to the test, after all I was an advocate for those who could not speak up for themselves. I felt like I had been thrown in the deep end and counted in the numbers. However, I did not see this as a bad thing, if anything it opened my eyes and tested my skills, I had to use my initiative and take responsibility if I felt something was not quite right, I would escalate my findings and inform the nurse straight away.
I witnessed a lot of people die, which I think I will find the hardest throughout my future career, yet still be able to manage. Finishing one shift and being told at the next morning handover that a patient you were looking after had passed away through the night is hard to hear, even though you did everything you could as a team to save them, but just wasn’t enough, it is heart-breaking. However, what I took away was, we gave the patient the best care that we could and made that patient comfortable. They were not alone, as their relatives were by their side as they passed away peacefully. The most comforting thing I found, which may seem morbid to some people, was performing the last offices. I think that it is an honour and a privilege to be the last person with the patient to say a final farewell to them.
I had the first vaccine and within a few days started feeling unwell. I tested positive for Covid-19 and was ill for 3 weeks. It was very frightening because I felt extremely vulnerable and also felt in the same shoes as the patients I was looking after a few days before. This experience has taught me not to take things for granted, even though the majority of cases were elderly people, I am young and still contracted the virus. Luckily, I was not hospitalised.
I think that this pandemic has changed all our lives forever. It has shown us that as a human race how adaptable we can be.
Studying from home was difficult, having lectures over MS Teams meant that sometimes the connection was poor and I had to go back and watch the power point presentation again. I felt that there was not the same interaction that is experienced sitting in the lecture theatre together, such as bouncing ideas off each other and just having human interaction in general. On the plus side cups of tea were not on short supply. Living on my own through this pandemic has been lonely yet has built my resilience. I will be looking forward to going back to university and studying alongside my peers again and getting back into a regular routine.
- Pte Farrell Intake 01/19
Thank you so much to all our three student nurses for sharing their experiences, I have enjoyed reading them, but also I could feel those heartfelt emotions and it brought a lump to my throat. I believe you are all going to make fantastic nurses and wish you well in your careers. When I faced the challenge of going to war, I was lucky, there was no isolation, we were all in it together and that camaraderie gave much needed support to each other.
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