Part 2. Being on Placement During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Diaries

I’m baaaaaack! Yes, I have been MIA but I’m hoping to get back into the blog! I wrote this post a long time ago and was deciding whether to post it or not but I think it’s important for me to reflect on my practice and for others to gain a little insight into what it’s been like to be on placement during the COVID-19 pandemic as a nursing student.

This blog post contains general entries from my time on placement and any information regarding a particular hospital or patient has been omitted or changed for privacy reasons.

02 July 2020

I was expecting to go to the Coronary Care Unit for my last block of placement but I’m very excited to be in paeds! I had it as one of my placement preferences but had never gotten it. I can’t lie, I’m a little bit disheartened that I hadn’t gotten a critical care area for my last placement but I’m trying to stay positive about it. Paeds is very different to adult nursing. I feel like a little bit of a fraud because everything is done so differently; the med checks are the same in principle but completely different to what I’m used to in practice.

I’m way out of my depth. I had to take out an IVC [intravenous catheter] from a four year old. I’m sure she won’t even remember it but I felt awful. She cried the whole time – not because taking out a cannula hurts but because it hurt her to have the bandaid taken off which secured it. I feel like all I do is make these tiny tots cry when I’m trying to help them.

1o July 2020

I have been in paediatrics for two weeks now. I feel like I have been here long enough now to say with confidence that this is the situation: we are severely lacking PPE [personal protective equipment] and just about every second patient is ?COVID [nurse short-hand for suspected of COVID-19]. When those patients do come in, I want to be able to protect myself and everyone else by wearing the appropriate PPE. But the reality is that we don’t have the PPE we need because other people are panic buying and the hospitals themselves are stockpiling [this is not isolated and is widely reported].

I am really conflicted about this because if the worst does happen, I want the stockpiled PPE to be there but I’m also interacting with patients who could have COVID-19 without the right masks and gowns. It’s a complicated situation and definitely not a safe one. Despite my concerns, thankfully none of our ?COVID patients have returned positive results.

EDIT: Since writing this post there has now been a new confirmed case of COVID-19 in this rural town.

17 July 2020

I’m coming to the end of my placement in paeds. I have really enjoyed working with this team of fabulous nurses and learnt a lot. I feel like this placement has taught me so much about medications that I wouldn’t even have thought about nursing on an adult ward.

I have also learnt a lot about resilience and standing up for myself – I will not be bullied by six year olds (or anyone). This week I looked after one patient who had broken their leg. They had a full leg plaster cast. I felt bad for them of course, I wouldn’t want anyone in that situation, but they were the rudest, cognitively intact patient I have ever cared for. They were rude to me and their mother and demanded constant attention from the nursing staff. They even kicked me one day when I was helping them into their wheelchair (I’m really hoping it was an accident). I love kids but I’m not sure that paeds is for me.

What I have loved about working in a rural hospital is the relationship between the staff, from the doctors and nurses to the ward cleaner (who is a legend by the way and helped me out in so many ways). It was nice to be respected as a nurse by everyone in the team even though I was a student. If they had a concern about a patient I was looking after, they came and spoke to me directly (with my supervising nurse there for support of course!) and I felt confident enough to approach them myself with patient concerns. On nights when it was quiet, we all had dinner together – even the doctors (socially distanced with all rules followed – it was a small ward with few staff).

22 July 2020

I was supposed to begin my last week of placement EVER this week. That didn’t happen. I developed a sore throat over the weekend and couldn’t attend placement. The likelihood of it being COVID-19 was minimal but that’s just not a risk you take. Two days ago I got my second COVID test and let me tell you… it’s nasty.

They performed a nasopharangeal swab. They told me that they don’t put it all the way into your nasal cavity anymore but it sure felt like something was going up my brain! I understand though – better to make sure you get all you can for the test.

For now I’m waiting for my test results to come back.

30 July 2020

My test came back negative so I am back to placement. Although I was slightly delayed, tomorrow marks 800 hours of placement. It took a lot of blood, sweat, tears and pooh (literally) to get here. My CLN [clinical liason nurse – preceptor] gave me a lot of encouragement and feedback to get through this last month. And while I’m super proud of myself for finishing my degree, I still think I know nothing. Not quite sure I’m ready to be a nurse but I’m sure the confidence will come with experience.

As for ophthalmology, the hours were great. I finished work everyday at 5pm and was consistently home for dinner. I learnt a lot about eyes, which I hadn’t thought about since we studied anatomy and physiology in the first year of our degree. It was good to refresh my knowledge and add to it! I feel like I didn’t use my clinical nursing skills too much but it was a nice change of pace and everyone was super accommodating even though I was only there for a week. I also learnt that I definitely need to get my eyes tested.

Now the ‘second wave’ is picking up. Everyone is becoming more cautious once again. Only time will tell how this will play out.

In the words of Doctor Mike, once again, ‘Stay alert, not anxious’.

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