A Nursing Students Response to COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed Australia and every person has been impact and life as we know it has changed and we are adjusting to a new normal. University’s and Workplaces have closed physically but the requirements have shifted gears and are now operated 100% online. What does that mean for Students, Nursing Students in particular? This blog post goes into a little about what Nursing Students can do to support their colleagues, out on the front line.

Authored by Joshua Thomson

Student Nurse from South Australia. 

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​As I sit here in the comfort of my study at home, I know that right now there are thousands of Nurses, Doctors, Allied Health Workers, Orderlies, Carers, Cleaners and Maintenance Staff (just to name a few!) on the front line of the Australian Fight against COVID-19. I would be lying to myself if I said that these past few weeks hadn’t been somewhat personally challenging. My employer closed their doors, my university closed their doors as well and to top it off I have closed mine and I am staying home. For my wife, staying home is easy, for me it's not that simple and is something I’ve had to adjust to rather quickly! However, in the light of what our heroes on the front line are doing day in and day out, I have it pretty easy!
 
On the 14th January my wife and I flew out to the land of smiles, the one and only Thailand. We spent our days by the pool enjoying a cocktail or two and connecting with the beautiful Thai People. Upon our return Coronavirus was only something that had been happening in China and was only affecting a small number of Australians. Fast forward to the 28th March and we spend our days and nights at home, kitchen tables have become offices and class rooms, our backyards have become the lunch room and weekend drinks have become something we do over FaceTime. Our lives have changed, and I would be lying if I said that there wasn’t a level of concern about what tomorrow might look like.
 
As a Nursing Student I have felt rather helpless over the past few weeks knowing that so many are doing it tough and are having long days and long nights, staying away from family to protect them and still everyday showing up for their patients and their colleagues. I wanted to share some thoughts and feelings that I have felt this week and reflect on why, as students we have a vital role to play from our living rooms.
 
I knew from the day I became a Nursing Student that Nurses are special. They are a group of people that everyday give up their time and energy to put their patients first and that they do this whether there in the middle of a Global Pandemic or not, it's part of who they are. As I’ve connected with my nursing friends around Australia, I am so proud of you. I am proud of your resilience and I am proud of your unwavering care for your patients no matter the personal cost to you and your families. Every day I am proud to be a part of this family but right now, this is truly something special.
 
As a student it was a tough moment to be told that all students would be transitioning to an online learning environment. I have studied online before; this wasn’t what concerned me. As a Nursing Student it became abundantly clear from about day two into my course that Nursing is Highly Skilled and Highly Technical and requires focus and dedication to both the theory and the practical component. The practical component of our course at the moment is non-exist, time in the skills lab is cancelled, placements are in limbo and we have about a hundred questions on what might happen next. I guess, right now, no one knows what is going to happen next so I decided that I need to put my time and attention into what I can and focus on what I value.
 
I honestly believe that the best thing that Nursing Students can do right now while were in the middle of a Global Pandemic is to keep going, keep studying, keep writing assignments, watch YouTube videos on some of those practical skills and hone our craft because our colleagues need us, the Nurses that are fighting COVID-19 will need us in the future to be ready to put on our uniforms and turn up. Once we move on from COVID-19 hospitals will still be full, operating theatres will be booked, care plans will need to be put together and progress notes will still need to be written. The reality is that Nurses existed before COVID-19 and will exist well after it becomes a distant but all too real memory.
 
I think, right now in 2020 every Nursing Student is having a line in the sand moment and we get to decide am I in or am I out? Because ultimately this is what we are signing up for. When everyone else closes their doors, the hospital door remains open. We have a responsibility to keep studying, rise above the challenges and be ready to play our part when our time comes. The health care team is like one big baton race, you run as fast as you can and then you pass it on to the next runner. We all have a part to play and although we may not be on the Front Line today, tomorrow, we might very well be.