While most Canberrans have being doing our part by staying at home during this COVID-19 outbreak, our frontline healthcare workers have been tirelessly working to protect and care for our community.
Canberra Daily spoke to several of them – two nurses, a doctor, a scientist, and a pharmacist – who revealed what their hardest days look like, how they keep their spirits up, and their messages of gratitude.
Receiving the news that Coronavirus had made its way into the community for a second time was devastating news for every Canberran, but for Molecular Scientist at ACT Pathology Maxine Wendt, it’s a day etched forever in her memory.
“Sometimes I feel a bit guilty because the first case for our outbreak this year was one I found on my morning run, so this lockdown happened after I found that case. But we knew it was going to happen at some point,” she said.
According to Ms Wendt, the hardest aspect of her job is having to leave the lab for the day when there are swabs still waiting to be tested. While she loves getting all the work done and finished, there’s only so much she can physically do in a day.
“I’m committed to my job and I’m happy to be helping the cause. Myself and my fellow scientists have gone from struggling to do about 1,500 samples a day to doing 4,000 [one day] the other week, which is a challenge, but we get it done,” she said.
Dr Ashwin Swaminathan, Infectious Diseases Clinician and Clinical Director for Medicine at The Canberra Hospital (TCH), said although it’s been challenging, he’s also found it to be an exciting time for medicine.
“Clearly there’s been challenging times – long hours and the long duration of the pandemic – but there’s been a lot of opportunities for increased collaboration and new models of care, which has been a real positive,” he said.
After a hard day at the hospital, Dr Swaminathan’s light at the end of the tunnel is his family.
“I love going home and unwinding with the kids; I have a five-year-old and a three-year-old. Just being part of the non-COVID world for a bit helps after a hard day,” he said, his eyes smiling above his face mask.
In future when this pandemic is long behind us, Dr Swaminathan said he’ll look back on his work with pride.
“I think even as we’re going through it now, it does feel like a huge, seismic event that we will be reflecting on for a long time – the rest of our careers. I think we’ll look back on our work with pride,” Dr Swaminathan said.
“We’re all going through having to put on PPE, the long hours, the sick patients, but I think the sense that we’re a team and we’re doing this together has been really useful, but also just having a laugh with each other has helped kept the morale up.”
For Sheridan Dobing, Canberra Hospital’s Clinical Nurse Coordinator now working as a vaccination nurse at the AIS Arena mass vaccination clinic, working during the pandemic has been a mixed bag of emotions.
“It’s been rewarding but also overwhelming. Being able to give back to the community and help out has been that rewarding aspect, but also really overwhelming having to adapt and respond to such an everchanging world,” Ms Dobing said.
“Treating people with COVID and being around COVID has an element of feeling overwhelmed because it is so new to us, and the way we have to treat and manage people is very different.”
The messages of thanks from the Canberra community have made her smile and have never failed to brighten her day.
“We’ve had patients come in and give us chocolates and little cards, so we’ve been really well supported and thanked from the community. We don’t do it for thanks, but it’s so nice!” she said.
COVID Clinic Pharmacist at the AIS vaccination centre and leader of the production team, Brenda Lee, has found it hard to adapt to the changes but said being part of a great team is what helps get her through.
“It’s been up and down… It’s been crazy actually; I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s definitely been a journey,” Ms Lee said.
“It’s cool to be part of the vaccination team during this pandemic and, after it’s all over, I’ll feel really proud of myself. It will be great to be able to tell the next generation that I contributed to the community.”
With around 11 years of experience in infection control, Clinical Nurse Consultant Kimberley Phelan is currently working at the COVID testing site at TCH, and said it’s been humbling seeing the hospital rally together to do their best to care for all patients.
“The Canberra community has really pulled together to get us out of this. We should be incredibly proud of our vaccination rates and no challenge is too big; we’ve demonstrated that and hopefully we’re coming out on the other side of it now,” Ms Phelan said.
“Just stay strong, stay supportive, and have hope.”
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