BERNI O’SULLIVAN, LEAD COORDINATOR FOR NORTH MAIN STREET VACCINATION CENTRE IN CORK How did your job change during COVID? I worked in the ICU in Cork University Hospital for 30 years. I worked in the COVID ICU for the first year of COVID and it was certainly the worst year of my career. It was so sad and so horrible. I felt so bad for the young nurses who were starting off and wondering if things were always going to be so terrible. I was at rock bottom. But then last March, I moved to the new vaccination centre at Pairc Ui Chaoimh as a Lead. Within a month I was so re-energised. It was so fantastic seeing the hope that was around the place, watching the older generation coming in to us dressed up to the nines and with huge smiles. Who or what got you through the hardest moments of COVID? It was definitely my colleagues who got me through the worst days. All the staff at the ICU, not just the nurses, but the doctors, cleaners, porters, everyone had your back. They always recognised when you were at your lowest and would offer their support.
Not being able to let families in to see loved ones was horrendous. After doing the video calls between the patient and their families, you were at rock bottom, it was a cruel thing. But the support from colleagues was overwhelming. And of course I have my brilliant family – my husband and two daughters have kept me going too. Are there any changes that you have made in your work and home life during the pandemic that you will be happy to bring forward with you? I didn’t make massive changes but I will definitely continue to wear a mask in a lot of situations to protect the people around me for the foreseeable future. What did you miss the most during COVID? The thing I missed most was family. I am one of eight in my family and I have three sisters that I am very close to. They are in Kilkenny, Galway and Longford so I didn’t get to see them and that was really hard. My daughter is a nurse in Liverpool and she wasn’t able to get home to us at all. It was so tough.
What are you most looking forward to doing as restrictions ease? Like everyone, I am looking forward to travelling again. And getting to be with all my family again is a big one. It is great that my daughter can get home to us regularly now from Liverpool.
CHARLOTTE CARTER, CNM 2 ICU, CCU, PORTIUNCULA UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
How did your job change during COVID? The main change in my role was having to take in to account the bigger picture more than I would have done previously. Due to the focus on ICU capacity within our own ICU as well as other Saolta group ICUs, I needed to ensure that we were able to facilitate all admissions safely which included accepting several patients from other hospitals who were experiencing capacity issues. I was also very conscious of ensuring that non-COVID patients had their needs met as for a while it felt that globally like COVID was the only focus. As well as this we had to implement a variation of new practices in to our department in a short period of time. As a result, ensuring my staff got the neccessary updates on practice, as we learned it from our European counterparts, without overwhelming the staff was a very delicate balance. Who or what got you through the hardest moments of COVID? The ICU team have been amazing. I feel so proud to manage my nursing staff who respect me with my decisions and who trust me for ensuring that the safety of the patients and staff will never be compromised. From a personal point of view, my family have always been incredibly supportive of my career and know how
important it is to me, and without their understanding during such uncertain times it could have been so different. Are there any changes that you have made in your work and home lifeduring the pandemic that you will be happy to bring forward with you? At work, I am even more protective of the staff as I am so cautious of burnout and how it has all impacted them in their own lives. I make sure that they know I am there for them should they need anything and will do whatever I can to help them should they need it. As for home, it has made me think of how precious time is. My children are teenagers now who have missed out on two years of experiences which would shape them for the future. My focus now is to encourage them in to as many different things as I can to make sure they go forward in life not being afraid of trying new things and taking every opportunity that is presented to them. What did you miss the most during COVID? All my own family are all back in the UK, and I have not been able to visit for various reasons since COVID began. Before COVID I would could just hop on a plane for a few days, but the restrictions made this process much more complicated. Now that the restrictions are lifting, it will be on the top of my list to book a flight over! I love learning new things, so I am already on the look-out for short craft sessions such as pottery or jewellery making where I can learn new skills either by myself or with my boys. From a work point of view, we are all looking forward to organising a lunchtime get-together to catch up on all the missed conversations in the tea room!
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