As the backbone of the health care system, registered nurses play a critical role in keeping the public and patients safe during a pandemic. During the COVID-19 crisis, Saskatchewan’s registered nurses are taking a lead role in advocating for patient and public safety, and calling for real-time changes to policies and practices to contain the spread of the virus.
“We are the ones who have the first contact with patients, and we understand how to manage patient care in a holistic manner,” said Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN). “We understand what patients need and the nuances of care, and we understand what it takes to make a system work properly. We are essential in how to manage a plan and to successfully work our way through a pandemic.”
Zambory said that there are numerous examples of registered nurses identifying issues and recommending solutions during this pandemic. When registered nurses saw that not enough testing for the virus was taking place, they called for increased testing. The same applies to contact tracing.
When HealthLine 811 was overburdened with increased public demand, registered nurses reacted quickly to help fill the gaps, and when concerns emerged about insufficient amounts of personal protect equipment (PPE), registered nurses called for better access and greater transparency regarding supply levels for all frontline health workers.
Registered nurses also recognized that there was no provincial plan for cohorting COVID-19 patients, health workers caring for these patients, or for creating dedicated COVID-19 facilities, and they called on decision makers to address these concerns. They continue to advocate on behalf of vulnerable populations and those in long-term care facilities, recognizing these patients are most at risk for serious complications.
“As registered nurses, we take the public trust very seriously. The public knows that they can trust us to tell them the truth and so when we speak, the public listens because they know what we’re saying has meaning. We don’t just speak for the sake of it. We speak for the safety of the people that we care for, and the safety of people who deliver the care, including registered nurses and the rest of the health care team,” said Zambory.
She added that this advocacy takes place in a collaborative framework with decision makers because, in the end, everyone is working together with the same goal of flattening the curve, and making sure that patients stay safe and healthy.
Registered nurses also take a lead role in communicating with the public and encouraging people to adhere to physical distancing and to stay at home. SUN leads a social media campaign in which registered nurses plead with the public to stay home for their own safety.
“When people saw pictures of registered nurses holding up the signs, they filled their social media feeds with comments such as ‘Thank you so much for being on the front lines for us.’ It really made registered nurses feel so cared for, so respected, and just so good.”
During this period, registered nurses also are speaking up for vulnerable populations including the poor, homeless, and those suffering from addictions and mental health issues. Registered nurses are raising their concerns so these individuals are not forgotten during the pandemic.
“We look at society and patients in a holistic way,” explained Zambory. “The one thing that we believe in so strongly is social solidarity, that we raise each other up, and we protect our most vulnerable, and together we do that as a community.”
She admits that registered nurses experience plenty of anxiety during the pandemic, but she said they also understand the risks involved in being a member of the largest group of health care providers in the province.
“There’s a lot of pressure and a lot of stress. But as registered nurses, we understand that when you choose a career of medicine there are times when we really have to get going and this is one of them,” says Zambory.
As the pandemic continues, Zambory said registered nurses will continue to raise their voices for what is important, and will continue to have critical conversations with the government, other health care stakeholders and the public on what it is required to keep people healthy and safe.
“Registered nurses are everywhere in the health care sector and we will continue to have those hard conversations that others find difficult to have. We know as registered nurses that we have to advocate to have a healthy, functioning, and protected society. We have to be willing to say what needs to be said. We must be willing to do that for the patients, for people, and for society.”
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