SPECIAL FEATURE
TWO OF A KIND by Jo Henwood
Nursing is a challenging job at the best of times. The past year has meant drastic changes to the role. MC Magazine talked to two nurses, working in very different areas of the profession, to find out how it was for them.
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iz Owens is a ward manager on the acute respiratory ward, at Liverpool University Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She is based at the Royal Liverpool hospital and her ward is now requisitioned to treat patients with COVID-19. Maria Murphy is a community care practitioner for Mersey Care, visiting patients in their homes.
WHAT’S YOUR TYPICAL DAY? LIZ: “As a ward manager my priorities are staffing and patient safety. I check infection control measures are in place and that we are safe, clean and tidy. As a respiratory nurse I’m used to wearing personal protective equipment, but now I put on a surgical mask the minute I enter the hospital.
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“Our ward round brings together everyone involved in someone’s care: the consultants, the doctors, the physios, the pharmacists, senior nurses. We discuss everything about the patient and what they need. Then we get on and do it.
“I try to take breaks, for a drink at least. I always encourage staff to take comfort breaks though. They work long shifts and I’m mindful that they need a few minutes to themselves.”
MARIA: “No two days are the same. My day starts the night before, when I electronically check my case list for the next day. By 7.30am, I’ve checked my PPE and supplies so I’m ready for my first patient for 8.30am. Lunch? I never have a fixed time for lunch. “My first priority is people who need vital medication, such as insulin or heparin to thin their blood. Sometimes we have to visit a patient more than once in a day; you get to know them and their carers. “There’s a strong link between health and social care. We have to get both right, so the patient can live either in their own home or a place they choose. My job is to help people manage conditions and prevent them needing to go into hospital.”
HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC CHANGED HOW YOU WORK? LIZ: "The biggest change is how much more time we spend making sure patients and families stay connected while they can’t see each other in person. I’m so committed to making sure patients and their families stay connected. It’s a lot of work but it’s so important. Families are sometimes frustrated by the situation. I try to be as kind as I possibly can, let them vent their frustrations and explain that the guidelines are to keep them safe."
MARIA: “PPE! My car now resembles a stock cupboard. Before the pandemic we would only wear gloves and an apron to carry out a procedure. Now we carry full PPE. If someone has tested positive we’ll go into their home wearing a long-sleeved gown, a fitted mask, a visor and gloves. It’s different but people are fine. I read of people who were not kind to staff in nurse’s uniform but I’ve received nothing but support."
