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China Reopens Borders to End Zero Covid
After 3 years of strict zero-COVID measures, mainland China reopened its air, land, and sea borders, as well as removing quarantine restrictions on inbound travellers. This development is met with much excitement, with many families and friends finally reuniting following 3 years of separation.
started in first year three years ago.”
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“We have been given jobs far beyond our scope of practice which is not our role as students. We are there to learn, to watch qualified and experienced people execute the job in a professional manner. The whole experience has been isolating and frustrating and I really wish there was more of a support there for us”, she said.
1st year UCD nursing student, Chris O’Dwyer, agreed that student nurses need greater support.
“COVID-19, RSV and influenza are causing significant problems in our hospitals and healthcare workers are working extremely hard. However, the greater issue is definitely the treatment of hospital staff across all departments. There is a major problem with staff retention, more and more nurses are leaving the country in search of a better work life balance or leaving the profession altogether. Major improvements are needed to retain nurses and midwives - better pay opportunities, better work conditions and better support for student nurses and midwives,” he stated.
Jane Doyle, a 4th year nursing student at DCU, spoke of her anxieties surrounding the overcrowding once hearing of the situation into which she was about to enter.
“It was very daunting watching the news knowing that we would have to go into the hospital. I was concerned that our education would be in jeopardy as staff nurses would not have the time to teach us, as that was a problem before the overcrowding got this bad”.
A spokesperson for the HSE has stated that the issue of hospital overcrowding is likely to continue for a number of years. While protests are taking place across the country calling for greater capacity in emergency departments, anger and fear about the situation remain among hospital staff and nursing students.
