I love what I do – I always wanted to be a nurse

grace vera Nurse IntegraMédica Outpatients Clinics

I am 33 years old. Until 2014 I was an auxiliary, and then I studied nursing. I have been working since the beginning of the pandemic, when my baby was only five and a half months old. My family has criticised me a lot, even my mother. She says I should ask for time off and shouldn’t be exposing my baby at such a young age. My little one is called Dante and he was born on 27 July last year, 2019. I finished my maternity leave and went straight back to work, so I had to stop breastfeeding at that point. He stayed at my home in my house in Buin, looked after by Carolina, his nanny. People in my family would say I was a bad mother, but I would say: I will take all the precautions as a professional, using all the equipment, and I won’t get it. I studied for this and I need to get involved, as it’s what I wanted. I can’t get away from what I do, and I do it with love. I have always been keen to come and work, because of everything that is happening. I have a good relationship with my team at work, and I feel I have helped them keep the stress levels down. I am lucky that my partner understands me and has been really supportive. Until March, I worked on the endoscopy ward as normal, but when the pandemic arrived we had to stop the endoscopy because of the risks, and then I started doing the pcr tests to check for Covid.

I stand by my decision to keep working, because I have always wanted to be a nurse, since I was a child. I never dreamt of doing anything else.

We used to work with basic safety equipment, but that has all changed. We started using the face shield and special masks, as well as being very careful when putting on and taking off the protective clothes. There were new procedures every day, which was stressful for the team. The hardest time was when my two colleagues got infected and I had to work on my own. Buin was one of the communities that was put under lockdown and that affected public transport. I had to start driving. I did have a licence but didn’t drive because I was afraid of the motorway. I would only go as far as the supermarket in Buin. But going on the metro would have exposed me more, all of a sudden I had to start driving on the motorway. At first, I drove really slowly in the slow lane, but I soon got used to driving to and from work. I did all that to protect my son more. We were lucky that my husband’s working day was shortened and he was able to spend more time with our son. Then there was Carolina, who I trust completely. My son doesn’t even cry when I leave for work, so that means all is well. We communicate during the day. She also trusts me and knows I take all the necessary precautions. To start with, the demand for tests was crazy. Between March and April it was very high, because everyone needed to be tested. At one point we had 100 a day. Later it got more selective, because we would do a more detailed triage and look at the symptoms more closely. At first, we would do the pcr with a swab or a cotton bud, then we started doing tests by using a syringe to collect secretions. And of course, always using the protective equipment. Now it’s August and it has gone down a lot. For the last three weeks floor 7, the Covid floor, has been quiet. We only do about five tests a day. Nowadays you can get a pcr test result in 48 hours. It is pretty effective, though of course the results are not always correct. The doctors tell us there is a certain percentage of false negatives. I know of three cases of a negative PCR and the person had all the symptoms – fever, cough, etc. As far as mental health goes, I spend a lot of time talking to God, but sometimes I explode and some days I cry a lot. I think my working environment is a very good one. On some of my worst days, I have been supported by colleagues and we have had a laugh together and felt better. At times, when I have had a meltdown, I have had to shut myself in the bathroom and pray and ask God to

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help me calm down before I went back on my shift. In the midst of this pandemic, we have built a really good atmosphere of trust. There was one point where I had to stand in for my boss, because she got Covid. I have always been quiet and worked behind the scenes. Two weeks ago I was invited to apply for a management post in the medical centre. I felt really honoured to be invited and to grow skills that I didn’t know I had, in decision making and leadership. Amongst all the stress of the pandemic, this has been a high point for me. I stand by my decision to keep working, because I have always wanted to be a nurse, since I was a child. I never dreamt of doing anything else. Since fourth grade, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I did actually start off studying as a nursing auxiliary, for financial reasons, but I really wanted to be a nurse. �