‘They are our heroes’

Newfoundland and Labrador nurses seeing province through pandemic

In a year like no other, Yvette Coffey says Newfoundland and Labrador registered nurses have seen the province through the COVID-19 pandemic with remarkable courage and strength.

Coffey is the president of the Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland and Labrador and has worked in nursing for three decades. She says the pandemic has added an immense pressure to registered nurses’ and nurse practitioners’ already pressure-filled jobs as they continue providing care while facing COVID-19.

But health care workers are among the most resilient of all of us, seemingly able to face up to even the most arduous of tasks like combatting the pandemic — something Coffey says means they are owed a debt of gratitude for.

“They never give up on patients. They continue to play a vital role in the global response to pandemic, continue to show up to work each day. I applaud them having the fortitude to face that, what they do each day,” she says.

FACING THE FRONT LINE

Nursing is no easy job, but the pandemic has made it an even harder one, according to Coffey, who says registered nurses and nurse practitioners are facing risks to themselves and their families each day in order to keep the people of Newfoundland and Labrador safe.

“I’ve been on the front line myself for 30 years, so I know and feel what they’re saying. The past year has exacerbated our nursing shortage,” says Coffey. “We have RNS working 16 to 24 hours in a shift, when it should have been a 12-hour shift. They are doing this day in, day out.”

Coffey says it’s important to recognize that this hard work, while admirable, does take its toll.

“Nurses’ own mental health has been impacted. You can’t go into work, day after day and come home utterly exhausted, only to do it again the next day and often even on your days off. Our nurses do it, but it does impact their family and home life,” she says.

In spite of this toll, nurses have continued showing up since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Atlantic Canada in March 2020 and haven’t stopped since.

“Despite the impact things are having on them, despite being exhausted, nurses are continuing to face these challenges with courage. Through it all, they have the fortitude to go in, get in the zone and do what’s ahead of them to the best of their ability,” says Coffey.

THE CALL TO NURSING

Coffey says that nursing is a profession that feels like a calling to many of its members. She says she is among this group and felt called to it in her teenage years.

“I cared for my aging grandparents and was always the one to help if my brother crashed his bike — I was the one fixing him up. I was always reading biology and always had a keen interest. Nursing was very natural for me, as it’s natural for a lot of people,” she says.

“You go into this profession eager to help people. That’s what we’re doing — we help people get well, stay well and help patients prevent or cope with illness.”

Even with many registered nurses feeling so passionate about their profession, Coffey says many have grown weary over the past year as a different kind of pandemic fatigue sets in. She says there are several things the public can do to help, which all start with following the rules.

“We’ve all seen the stories of doctors and nurses pleading with the public around the world, asking people to follow the rules, to take this seriously and stay at home or in social bubbles as much as possible,” says Coffey.

“This is real. People have lost their lives and loved ones, so we need the public to get behind us.”

As people in Newfoundland and Labrador together hold fast and stay the course, vaccination roll out will continue building up its defense against all known variants of COVID-19. And as vaccines alone are not enough to eradicate the virus, Coffey says it remains essential to work together as a team to do everything possible to contain it moving forward.

“The pandemic is still not over. Science is still evolving, so for everyone’s safety, we need to keep following public health guidelines and staying safe,” says Coffey, adding a special thank you to registered nurses, nurse practitioners and all health-care workers as they continue their work.

“I want to give a big thank you to all nurses for stepping up every single day. For having the courage to face these challenges and continuing to care for our most vulnerable. Health care workers are our heroes, as a whole.”

“They never give up on patients. They continue to play a vital role in the global response to pandemic, continue to show up to work each day. I applaud them having the fortitude to face that, what they do each day.”

Yvette Coffey President, Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland and Labrador