2020_04_23_ENF_alumnos

The students, all 4th year students, are working in hospitals in Madrid such as the Clínica Universidad de Navarra and the Hospital Universitario Rey Juan Carlos; in the Hospital San Pedro, in Logroño; in the Hospital Comarcal de Laredo; and in nursing homes such as La Vaguada, the Clínica Josefina Arregui or the residency program Landazabal.

Anabel Villero. CUN Madrid. Hospitalization ward with COVID-19 patients.

"When they called me, I didn't hesitate and within two days I was there ready to give 200% for the patients. degree program I believe that Nursing is a service to others, very vocational, and that makes us willing to do whatever it takes to help people. I don't consider myself a hero as they say out there. I think I am doing what I have to do and what I have studied and been trained for during these years of degree program.

The hardest thing is the status in which the patients find themselves, who have to be alone, without their relatives to avoid contagion. They only have us, and they can't even see our faces because of the protective equipment. In addition, because we have such a heavy patient load, we cannot dedicate as much time to them as we would like to.

The most satisfying thing is, without a doubt, seeing a patient being discharged after a long time in the hospital. The relationship you forge with some of them at status brings tears to your eyes at times. On the other hand, the patients are very appreciative and thankful for your work and that gives you the energy to go on for another 12 hours if necessary".

 

Fernando Gárate. CUN Madrid. ICU.

"I joined the night of March 31 because staff was urgently needed and I wanted to help.

The most difficult thing is to carry the pressure of the unit, within this very complicated context of the pandemic. It is also very hard to see the suffering of the families when their loved ones are in the ICU.

The most satisfying thing is to see them evolve, improve and move up to the plant.

Despite the tragedy, it's been a positive experience for me, because I'm learning and at the same time I'm able to help people".

Beatriz Otero. San Pedro de Logroño Hospital. Hospital ward with COVID-19 patients. 

"My work is temporary relief and I don't have the same responsibility as a nurse because I don't take my own patients. I perform nursing tasks such as drawing blood tests, ECGs or discharging and admitting patients, among other things. My day-to-day life is very similar to that of a normal ward, but with more sadness because the patients are alone and we are their greatest support. Some of them have no way of communicating with their relatives and we act as intermediaries by calling them and facilitating communication.

What I am finding most difficult is the uncertainty, the fear of catching the disease and the fear that my family will catch it too. The deaths are also very sad, because the sick die alone and without family members, so we nurses try to be with them as long as possible so that they die peacefully. 

The most satisfying thing is talking to the patients, accompanying them; their gratitude and their joyful faces when they are discharged home. 

Without a doubt, it is an experience that has helped me grow as a person and as a professional. I have learned to value more than ever the companionship and work as a team."

 

Irati Busselo. residency program La Vaguada de Pamplona.

"We received many offers from work from different residences and private hospitals, both in Madrid and Navarra, and that made me see that many places really needed that support urgently, since they were going to 4th year nursing students. It was a decision that was hard for me to make, since it was going to be my first work as a nurse and I would also start working in a crisis status where I knew that things were not going to be easy. However, once I handed in my work Fin de Degree and got ahead of other university work, I decided to take the plunge.

On each floor of residency program there are 53 patients for one nurse. Due to status, the dynamics of work have changed because now most residents have to remain isolated in their rooms, no longer gather in the common areas, and it is necessary to go room by room.

I think the hardest thing is the emotional burden. Many days I have gone home crying. You see residents alone, isolated, full of fear, tired...that you can barely spend time with and you break down. Many times you go into a room and you want to stay with that person and keep them company and let them tell you how they feel... but you can't because you have a whole hallway to attend to... But the hardest thing for me, without a doubt, has been having to give them the result of the tests when it was positive or having to tell them that their brother who lives in the next room has tested positive for covid and they are going to move him to another floor. At that moment, you see how he collapses and you can't even give him a hug.

Physically it is also very hard: there are days when I don't even have time to take a break, and many days I go home an hour later. However, even though it is hard, you also feel satisfaction for your work, for your effort. As I do my shift, I know that I am giving a break to my colleague next to me who has been working for several days without rest. On the other hand, although I can't dedicate as much time as I would like to the residents, the time I am with each one I try to bring a smile to their faces. With that I go home satisfied, because in one way or another I have helped in some way or another."

 

Arrate Arana. residency program DomusVi Miraflores of Bilbao.

"My first day at residency program was April 7. My responsibility is to take care of each resident's care, perform daily charting and attend to any needs that arise. I also update the changes of treatments indicated by the doctor and, taking into account that we are not in a common status , in case of need, I help the assistants with the distribution of food and temperature control of all residents. In addition, together with the nurse who accompanies me, I write down everything that happens in the evolutionary chart, so that the following shift can access this information. 

I am very happy, because they welcomed me very well and thanks to the team, I am enjoying everything I do. If I had to choose the best thing about my day to day, it would be the trust and the attention that I am achieving with the residents. Knowing that, to this day, many of them know me and address me in a very close and affectionate way is what comforts me the most.

I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to do my bit and to be part of the team. It seems to me that within the bad we can see the positive side and recognize how lucky we are to be able to learn from this status, for our next and future degree program professional as nurses." 

 

Igone Olmos. Josefina Arregui Clinic of Alsasua (Navarra).

"I decided to accept the offer from employment because we were at the peak of the coronavirus, and the healthcare needs were very important. There were patients who were isolated with covid-19, and the time spent by the nurses in their care was high, so they needed reinforcements. In addition, there had been staff from the clinic confined by the virus or suspected virus, so the needs for new staff were obvious. I wanted to help, to contribute what I could.

My work consists of attending to the needs of psychogeriatric patients. Together with the nursing assistants, I take care of the hygiene of the patients, the beds... and we administer the medication with the breakfasts. Afterwards, I assess each patient more individually, taking their vital signs, and perform the cures they require. I also communicate with the doctor to tell him how each patient is doing and he indicates medication changes or procedures to be carried out with the patient. In addition, in between all this, to cheer up the patients, we look for times to walk with them, play cards, or make video calls with their relatives, now that visits are not possible.

What I am finding most difficult is to combine study time with the time at work, since the pace at the clinic is very intense, sometimes I arrive exhausted and it is hard for me to start studying. But, although with effort, I do it.

The most satisfying thing is to see the patients smile, that they are well and happy, to observe their small day-to-day evolutions, and to think that you have collaborated in the achievement of that wellbeing."

 

Amaya Gastón. Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital, Madrid. Hospitalization ward with COVID19 patients.

"I am working on a floor that has three specialties: pulmonology, cardiology and hematology. My day-to-day life has changed a lot since I arrived. At first, all the rooms on the floor were occupied only by COVID patients. All the rooms were doubled up. That is to say, there were two patients in each room, when they were usually single occupancy. There was a lot of work, a lot of stress, a lot of fear, a lot of uncertainty.

The first three days I went with a nurse as we usually do in our supervised internships at the University. That nurse was teaching me how everything worked. After that, I gained autonomy and in less than a week I was taking my own patients, between 10 and 15. Between 10 and 15. Always supported by my colleagues. As it was a specialized pneumology ward, most of the patients who came to the ward were patients in status critical: most of them came from or ended up in the ICU. We had many borderline situations.

Any good news, the improvement of the patients, a detail of gratitude... was very well received and made being there worthwhile.

After that, status improved, the floor was freed up and the issue number of patients per floor was reduced by almost half. These last few weeks, however, have also been complicated again. Once the issue of COVID patients has decreased, patients from the other two specialties - cardio and hemato - have been coming in. Both are very potent, so we continue to deal with patients in very complicated situations, with the added risk of spreading COVID from one to another and taking many precautions to avoid this.

What I am finding most difficult is to be able to manage on an emotional level all that is happening to me here. And the most satisfying thing is that I have been able to reach some patients and help them in their recovery.

It has been a very positive experience. I consider that this is going to mark my future. I don't think I'm the same person as the one who arrived here almost two months ago."