A commentary by a public health nurse.
Happy National Nursing Week! And thank you to all the nurses who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, supported and healthy.
I am a public health nurse at the Saanich Health Unit. For 12 years I have been a nurse within the 91原创 Island Health Authority. Before that I had a few employed student nurse years and my Camosun-UVic educational experience.
Working as a student nurse is not for the faint of heart, and is a trial in itself 鈥� so thank you, nursing students.
I have never questioned becoming a nurse more than I have in the past year, even though I felt called, since I was a young child, to the work of caring for others, especially newborns.
I have worked in颅 颅fantastic nursing areas that have allowed me to grow, develop and strengthen my knowledge and skills.
In addition, my nursing work has challenged me to see the benefit of lifelong learning, and know that asking questions, or being transparent when unsure of the answer or outcome, is seen as an asset, not a failure.
I received my dream position in public health after much hard work, trials and tribulations. A聽year later, a measles 颅outbreak followed by a pandemic drastically changed my practice.
My own health issues, 颅supporting a parent with high-risk health needs and caring for my young family, amplified the stress and anxiety of unknowns in a pandemic climate.
Nurses work in high-stress conditions and environments while maintaining professional standards, best practices and ethical codes 鈥� and many times during the pandemic, I felt torn, because meeting those expectations could mean placing my family and myself at risk.
At the start, there was little to no personal protective 颅equipment and little in the way of COVID-19 protocols, procedures and parameters.
The pandemic was real-time learning. Public health leaders looked to countries and regions already entrenched in the COVID fight, to guide measures in Canada.
This was scary.
It felt like the world was unravelling around me, but as an essential health-care provider and nurse, I had to rally and go to work.
Those initial weeks were trying and scary. I experienced all ranges of emotion. It felt like we were on a roller-coaster with no end.
I feel this captures the futility of COVID as well as the personal emotions and duress we faced.
We came to work at the risk of ourselves and our families due to the needs of our patients.
Faced with growing concerns and demands that COVID dictated, such as ballooning cases and exposures, real-time 颅measures and changes made public-health work an ever-颅moving target.
For example, one day you would go to work, have a morning meeting (if conditions allowed) and assign duties and prioritize the day.
With little or no notice, COVID updates would revise the plan 鈥� and off you would go to attend to the new pressing 颅situation.
This required an inordinate amount of patience, composure and flexibility. Nurses are incredible; they are able to do all these things, on most days, to an immeasurable level.
COVID has challenged even the most seasoned nurses. The extremes it has subjected them to are impossible to translate to paper.
I work with exceptional nursing colleagues with hearts as big as Mount Washington. When some needed to step back, others took up the call and went to the front lines.
Everyone at the Saanich Health Unit supports my public health nursing work. I work with an amazing crew of leaders 鈥� my clinical co-ordinator, manager and hiring manager (who came out of retirement to head up the COVID response team) and a stellar administration team, housekeeping staff and many others who keep the ship afloat.
Navigating the pandemic would not have been as manageable without the staff at the health unit. I would not be where I am as a nurse without the 颅support team behind me.
In this, National Nursing Week, I cannot help but think of Florence Nightingale鈥檚 work, and portraits of Second World War nurses dressed in white regalia.
The respect that a nurse鈥檚 cape or white cap can bring might have dimmed over time, but I feel this pandemic has renewed the celebration of nurses.
We work even when we are exhausted and feel defeated after a year of COVID.
It was profound to see the community support, especially in the early days of the pandemic. The hearts placed in people鈥檚 windows, the 7 p.m. clanging of pots and pans, and even the smallest expressions of thanks made a huge impact.
These gestures, the camaraderie between nurses, and the unwavering capacity of nurses are overwhelming.
I am inspired to continue my commitment to my profession. I聽am proud to be a nurse.
We are all still living in this pandemic. Please reach out to someone who might be 颅struggling and know that we are in this together.
In the words of Dr. Bonnie Henry, please continue to 鈥渂e kind, be calm and be safe.鈥�
And this week, please be grateful 鈥� and thank nurses for all that they do.