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Queen’s and the NHS
The Queen’s community and the Covid crisis
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Becky Smith, Nurse (Becky is Dr Smith’s wife – Dr Smith teaches Maths and Computer Science at Queen’s)
Why did you enter nursing and when did you know that that was going to be your career path?
I entered nursing knowing that it was a great combination of both the subjects I liked at school and the things I was passionate about outside of school. I loved studying Biology, PE and Maths at A-level and nursing was a great combination of all of these subjects. Outside of this I loved working with with them. We have had to learn new ways
people and love the equality the NHS has to offer: treating all people with dignity and compassion, no matter their background. voice is muffled.
Out of the different disciplines within the medical world, nursing offered me the most flexibility in terms of future career choices, leading me into my current area of work in Critical Care and Trauma nursing.
What’s it been like working in a hospital for the last few months? Have there been any particularly memorable moments? How have you managed to keep your morale up?
I am looking forward to going on a really fun
It has been one of the biggest challenges I have faced in my life and career. Everyone working within the NHS has gone above and beyond, working outside of their comfort zone. The most difficult thing has been time from one disease, and as nurses, how we can give people a dignified end of life where they cannot have family or friends to check in with each other regularly and take a moment away from the new stresses and strains of this disease. One amazing donation was a ‘silent disco’. We’ve been using it on our night shift breaks. Dancing to cheesy pop at 2am helps you forget about everything else happening!
Is it really uncomfortable wearing PPE?
It’s definitely as uncomfortable as it looks – but you get used to it. The main difficulty is how hard it is to communicate with your colleagues and the patients, as they are unable to see your mouth move and your
What are you looking forward to doing when the current crisis is over?
contemplating the amount of loss over this holiday. I love to explore new places and try new foods. I can’t wait to do this with my friends from work. We’ve become so close and love to spend our days off visiting cool places together.

Mr Andrew Granath – Obituary
We were very sad to receive news of the death of our former History and Politics teacher, Andrew Granath, from Covid-19. Andrew was a wonderfully warm, wise colleague who worked with us in 2018 following his retirement from full-time teaching, and was adored by the pupils in his care. He will be very sorely missed and our heartfelt condolences go out to his widow, Jenny, and their children.
“I have come out of this crisis with a whole new skill set, particularly in supporting patients who are ventilated.” Max Gumpert, Nurse (Max is the son of Mrs Gumpert, Head of Religious Studies at Queen’s)
Why did you enter nursing and when did you know that that was going to be your career path?
I have been a nurse since October 2018 at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosciences. I decided to become a nurse after working with medical NGOs in various refugee camps across Greece and the Balkans during the refugee crisis of 2015-16. Some students and teachers at Queen’s might remember generously donating to my soup/tea kitchen which I set up during this period. I also came to the College’s own Derry-Anne Hammond for some careers advice!
What’s it been like working in a hospital for the last few months? Have there been any particularly memorable moments? How have you managed to keep your morale up?
Working in hospital has been a very stressful experience recently. I was redeployed at the peak of the virus to a Covid intensive care unit for 2 months. In this role I worked alongside ITU trained nurses to provide care to the very sickest patients. Obviously, there were times when I felt completely swamped but in retrospect, I really appreciate the experience I have had. I think I have come out of this crisis with a whole new skill set, particularly in supporting patients who are ventilated. I also feel the NHS as a whole will benefit from this increased skill set in the future. The moments that have meant the most to me are when I now come across a patient who I looked after in ITU. The survival rate for intubated patients was depressingly low and it is a great feeling when I can now talk to people I spent weeks looking after, while they were unconscious. That said, I think something that has been under reported so far, is the long-term health consequences this disease will have. Many ex-Covid patients are going to require years of physical and mental therapy in addition to many who will suffer from long

term lung and kidney damage.
Is it really uncomfortable wearing PPE?
Yes. The masks are so tight they don’t let you breathe properly through your nose and cut into your face in various places. Wearing the gowns and layers of gloves makes you feel constantly feel overheated and dehydrated. On top of that, with all the gear on it makes it nearly impossible to hear anything anyone else is saying.
What are you looking forward to doing when the current crisis is over?
I have a holiday booked to Croatia in July. Still hopeful that will be allowed! Otherwise I’m just crossing my fingers I will

be allowed to play cricket before the summer is over. Miss Roisin Archer from Queen’s, not deterred by the cancellation of the London Marathon, ran 200 laps of the car park of her local Homebase during lockdown, raising over £1,000 for NHS Charities Together.