HALIFAX -- While many Canadians are being asked to stay home, healthcare workers are reporting to work every day on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Janet Hazelton is the president of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union and also a registered nurse. She says, while the situation is taking a toll on nurses, they are a very resilient group of professionals.
“There’s a heightened anxiety for sure. They have the same access to the press as everyone else,” says Hazelton.
“They are being bombarded with the news from other countries and other provinces, so there is for sure increased anxiety amongst them.”
While nurses play a major part in caring for COVID-19 patients, they are also treating patients that are at the end of their life, in long-term care facilities, or having major surgeries.
“Let’s not forget, we have hundreds of nurses that are not able to work because they have come from away and they are isolated, so they are going through their 14-day isolation period,” adds Hazelton.
“We don’t have access to them for about another week or so.”
With schools and daycares closed, nurses are also under extra pressure to make sure their families are taken care of.
“It’s an incredible challenge to those nurses, especially if their partner is another essential-service worker,” says Hazelton.
“Some friends and neighbours are volunteering to care for their children, so that’s an enormous help. If there is a nurse or an essential-service person that you know of, perhaps offering to care for their children so that they can go to work would be appreciated. Our employers are trying to be as helpful as they can. They are allowing nurses to switch their shifts, so they can work their childcare around their shift.”
Hazelton says retired nurses are also answering the call to help Nova Scotians weather the storm.
“Through the College of Nurses, many of our retired nurses have gotten a temporary licence from the college, and they are prepared to do whatever it takes,” says Hazelton.
“Also, our new grads are offering to work to help us through this and some of our part-time nurses are willing to go to full-time hours to get us through this. So it’s an amazing response that we are getting from healthcare workers in general to make sure that Nova Scotians stay safe during this time.”
Hazelton continues to stress the importance of maintaining physical-distancing and self-isolating for those that have been away or are feeling ill.
“It’s really important, I know we’ve been hearing it from everybody, but it’s so, so important for people to understand,” says Hazelton.
“The only way we are going to get this disease conquered is we self-isolate and make sure we are not spreading it through the community.”
