How are Healthcare Workers surviving work during the Covid-19 Pandemic?

A NURSE’S SIDE OF THE STORY

By: Tabitha Peters

 

Twenty-seven-year-old David Griffith has been working at Humber River Hospital since July of 2020. 

“I have a lot of family that work in different areas of healthcare which was a huge influence on me entering the field.”

The Ryerson Graduate works many hard days. With preferably having night shifts, Griffith says being short-staffed is when it gets tough at work. He would then have to take on about 5-6 patients and then some won’t be doing well. 

“ At the very beginning, I was frequently on the phone with the doctor, ICU nurse, and respiratory therapists to report changes, and implement new interventions for a patient. Meanwhile, my remaining 2/4 patients were confused and at a high risk for falls as they would occasionally try to get out of bed to walk.”

Griffith has been attending to other patients with other needs just as equally as those who are at high risk of covid-19.

 

 

“Working during the pandemic comes with additional challenges.” 

 

Griffith says he’s not as concerned as before when it comes to catching the coronavirus because he’s fortunate enough to work in a place that supplies him with all the essentials.

 

“I feel protected considering I have access to adequate PPE, hand sanitizer and hand wash sinks literally around every corner. As long as everyone is sticking to using their PPE properly, I feel safe at work.”

 

He also recently got the Pfizer Vaccine in January of this year. A doctor asked him the day of if he wanted to be vaccinated, and without hesitation, Griffith said yes.

“I did my research beforehand, and I knew I would get it when the time was right.”

Griffith says he went on many reputable sites to ensure that the Pfizer vaccine would help beat Covid-19. One of his fellow co-workers, Rosalie Gans also got the vaccine.

“I jumped on that as soon as it was available to me.”

Gans has been working at Humber River since November of 2019, and when the pandemic was in full throttle, she became stressed with anxiety. Her full-time hours were reduced to part time because she just couldn’t handle the risk of getting Covid.  But after some time, she did manage to adjust and learn to breath in the N95 mask for a 12-hour shift. And after the vaccine, that made her more comfortable as well.

 

The aftermath of getting the vaccine was bittersweet for Griffith.

Pfizer vaccines come in two doses, so when he got the second one, he had a bad fever that night and felt awful for the next 3 days. He knew it was a common side effect of the body adjusting to the vaccine and there was nothing to worry about.  Griffith stresses that now during the pandemic, no one can call in sick with respiratory symptoms without getting screened and swabbed for Covid-19. Even on a regular day, every patient who enters the hospital must be swabbed for Covid. 

Doctors and Nurses continue to do their best to help those who are suffering. And with proper equipment, Griffith and his co-workers are trying to do their job the safe way. Griffith says that he wants to fulfill his duty as a nurse and make a difference to help save lives and get patients out of there.