By Emily Byrne
The latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) daily trolley watch reveal that 560 patients are without beds, 22 of which are under 16 (November 7th).
Figures from mid-November last year show similarly high numbers, with 409 admitted patients without a bed on November 16th, 2021. Pre-pandemic figures show that the number of patients waiting on a trolley is not a direct result of the pandemic, as 593 admitted patients were without a bed on November 11th, 2019.
Overcrowding and dwindling staff numbers has led to dangerous working conditions and potential negligence of patients. With pressure and no other choice, pieces are left to be picked up by the over-worked nurses.
Rapidly growing numbers and challenging working conditions seem to make the nursing field less attractive by the day, but what about the student nurses already fighting the battle?
Ryan Hayes, 26, a second-year student nurse at Dundalk Institute of Technology spoke to The City about his experience as a student nurse post pandemic and as a Health Care Assistant (HCA) pre pandemic.
“Staff shortages and retention challenges have been in healthcare for a while, even before it was as mainstream as it currently is. Unions have being lobbying this issue for years,” said Ryan.
“I think Covid caused a massive psychological shift in society as a whole. The tragedy of losing loved ones and the restrictions imposed on the public, albeit for the protection of us; made us realise that we truly are here for ‘a good time & not a long time’. It made us realise that a love for your job shouldn’t translate into burnout and fatigue,” he continued.
“For many, that means not putting up with the absolute dire situations some of our nurses are being faced with. Colleagues of mine have often been left minding up to ten acutely unwell patients – a ratio unsafe for staff and patients alike.”
Previous to his return to education, Ryan spent many years as an HCA, a job which he felt put him in a “unique rewarding and privileged position where you get to help some of the most vulnerable with maintaining their independence and dignity” however, for Ryan, something was missing.
“Being in my early 20s I just felt I wanted to do more. I am employed in a large acute hospital where I work with some amazing nurses and battled with them on the frontline of Covid-19, but I wanted to upskill.”
The transition from HCA to Student nurse may seem like an attractive option, however according to Ryan, the difference in salaries may cloud doubt in some prospective nurses mind.
“A newly qualified staff nurse starts out on 31,109 (Gross), in comparison to an HCA on point six of the PayScale who earns 34,649 (Gross).
“In no way do I undervalue or take away from the role of an HCA but where is the incentive to upskill when this is the reality? A massive increase in responsibility, scope, and skills with very minimal change to pay conditions.”
The role of a student nurse is considered supernumerary until final year and not accounted for when counting staff, however more often than not student nurses are left to take on responsibility, as low staffing numbers leave no other choice.
A statement of concern document is provided by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) to nurses which allows any concerned nurse to document that they have stated their concern of unsafe staffing or skills, however according to Ryan, this doesn’t change much “it doesn’t alleviate your stress when you understand that these aren’t shelves in a supermarket that will remain empty because we’re short. These are scared, sick people relying on you to care for them when they are at their most vulnerable.”
“I don’t think there is a nurse out there that hasn’t at one point or another left work feeling they didn’t get to give the care that the patient deserved, and they wanted to give. It is not the fault of the nurse but on a human-to-human level, you feel that guilt.”
The language heard around support for nurses tends to be in a financial context, the mental health of healthcare staff is a reality that often gets ignored, particularly that of students.
“I will complete a palliative care and end of life care module in semester two of my third year. By this time, I will have completed 31 weeks of placement where I will have been exposed to acutely unwell patients and very likely have dealt with a death,” said Ryan.
“It might be part of the job to deal with death, but that absolutely does not mean it is ok.
“There may be nothing you can do to stop a first year being exposed to it, but do we have enough tools there to counsel the 18-year-old out of secondary school after their first experience with death? Maybe it will take more than ‘five minutes out with a cup of tea’,” he finished.