Medical professionals fighting on the front lines against COVID-19 are also taking on the mental work of providing care during a pandemic.

The president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) told Global News members are dealing with the health threat on all fronts.

“It is the COVID-19 overload,” Tracy Zambory said. “They hear it all day at work, they can’t get away from it anywhere.

“You don’t get away from it on social media. You don’t get away from it on the news.”

According to SUN, the biggest concern for registered nurses is access to personal protective equipment (PPE).

“In certain pockets [of Saskatchewan], there’s a heightened sense of anxiety,” Zambory said.

“We’ve had members tell us there is rationing happening and they’re feeling very frightened about their own protection, the protection of their patients and further to that, protection of their own families.”

Zambory said the province has reassured the union there will be more shipments, but added there “doesn’t seem to be any answers coming forth on the amount.”

In late March, the premier of Saskatchewan said many supply chains were trying to meet the demand, adding he was hopeful the supply shortage wouldn’t last much longer.

On April 8, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) shared its COVID-19 modelling for three scenarios — low, moderate and high outcomes.

In it, the SHA provided insight into its pandemic planning — including the potential for field hospitals that would require staffing by registered nurses.

“That’s a good thing and we will be able to work forward from that to help our members. Where it is they could be deployed to and we’ve always understood that could be the case,” Zambory said.

“The hard part was not knowing when it was coming.”

Zambory said, previously, some of its members were moved from programs that shut down to assessment and testing sites.

“The unfortunate part about that is that we didn’t have any chance to have discussions with the employer ahead of time. Our members were just moved there, and that’s where the anxiety comes,” she said.