Clinical nurse specialist in familial hypercholesterolaemia, Laura Davis, was redeployed to the intensive therapy unit (ITU) at Harefield during the pandemic. She shares her story about what it was like working in full personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I had worn PPE but the donning and doffing procedure was a new term for me. We had to be trained on exactly how to do it and be very precise about the order everything went on. I started to worry that I’d get it wrong and endanger my colleagues and patients. Then, shortly after the training, it felt like the pandemic suddenly landed in our laps and we were sent for our first shift in ITU the next week.
“I was so nervous before that first shift, I didn’t know what to expect. How sick would patients be? What would be expected of me? I hadn’t been in ITU for a long time. I remember thinking, ‘How am I going to work in PPE? Even just breathing is difficult,’ and working in ITU is a physically intense job. You have to turn patients (known as proning), move and change equipment constantly.
“Then there were simple practicalities that made everything more difficult. You couldn’t see properly through the visors and I don’t think I realised how much I rely on lip-reading to understand people in normal everyday life. So speaking with colleagues and patients was hard. I had to focus on one task at a time, ‘If I can get through this next task then I’ll be a bit closer to taking the PPE off,’ and I would always look forward to getting the mask off for good at the end of the day.
“Little irritations become big irritations in PPE, wanting to scratch your face, getting hot, not being able to recognise anyone. But the hardest part was the effect the long shifts had on my family, having to tell my kids that I wouldn’t see them until the next day was tough when they were not used to that.
“The biggest respect goes to those in ITU full-time, I was lucky, although redeployed and having to adjust, I am part-time and dealing with the PPE on part-time hours was more than enough. There was a certain camaraderie among staff though, everyone seemed grateful that we were there to help, even if you didn’t know everyone or recognise them from one day to the next with PPE on. Shifts where you just didn’t know anyone else were hard.
“It feels strange to think back on it, I almost can’t explain it. “Even after I went back to my normal role, I’d think about the patients that I’d left behind in ITU.”
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