12th of May – the International Day of Nurses, this also to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of the nursery as a profession, Meta.mk spoke with several nurses about their previous experiences, including the challenges that they were facingin the period since the the start of the pandemics.
Arijeta Feta, who works at Mediko Marija in Chair municipality, says that most of her patients are children and there is still risk, despite wearing regularly face masks and gloves, and is disinfecting, she is still worried of being infected.
“At home I have two little children, but I also live in a community with elderly people, so I’m extra careful. Every day we are having contacts with people, and this period is a little bit stressful” says nurse Feta.
She advised her patients to visit the doctor’s office only when it’s urgent, and for other issues they talk with the doctor over the phone.
“It’s hard, but we have to endure” concludes Feta.
Her colleague Slavica Gajdova is a visiting nurse at the hospital in Veles. She says that during normal times they visit women in childbed to assist them, but during this period they are communicating with them over the phone or online.
“If the matter is urgent, then we visit their homes. We have protective suits and what is necessary for working outside, but for now we have had good communication with the parents” said nurse Gajdova, who also says that they are avoiding direct contact in order to protect the babies and their mothers.
From her experience, the parents themselves are also scared and are constantly asking how to protect the babies and themselves.
“What mothers always ask for is advise about breastfeeding, and we send them photographs or videos where they can see correct ways to hold the baby, how to breastfeed correctly” said Gajdova. “The whole situation is stressful for everyone and the people are scared and are careful”
Gordana Beshlioska, the President of the “For Us” association that manages the Union of Nurses, Obstetricians and Dental Nurses, says that one doesn’t need a pandemic to have talks about risks that nurses face with.
“These risks we have even in normal circumstances” stresses Beshlioska. She said that now there is a higher degree of safety and protocols where all patients are seen as potentially infected”.
“I spoke recently with one of the nurses that works at emergency services and she told me she is exhausted. The situation is very tense, they are tired of the ongoing activities and their shift quickly arrives in their rotation turns” says Beshlioska.
To be working in this profession, a courage is needed. But, even in situations such as these with too much work, the nurses will not back down.
“We are humane and do not differentiate to other situations. This period we are working under stress, but in order to be able to work in this job one has to have a sense of empathy” stresses nurse Beshlioska.
