We clapped for them, some of us even volunteered for them, but do we really know nurses do for us day-to-day? Cat Lindsay finds out what a typical day is like for them.
Whether during the pandemic or within a more ordinary year, the NHS staff work extremely hard. A lot of us appreciate everything they do, but do we really know how much they are giving up to help us?
Darren Cabrera, 33, is a Deputy Charge Nurse at Poole Hospital, he works in the Lower Limb Fragility Unit dealing with injuries such as fractures. Darren works full-time member, his shifts are contracted to be 11 and a half hours long, but Darren usually does more than 13 hours per shift - which he says impacts his home life in “a lot of ways.”
“Working as a nurse entails total dedication, effort and persistence.” Darren added. “It’s just the way it is like any other job out there that demands effort and agility, but the only difference is that people’s lives are on your hands, so you give a bit of extra care, concentration and physical labour.”
During his working week Darren doesn’t have much time for anything else, as he wakes up for a shift at 4:45am. “When I get home after a long day, I just eat whatever is the easiest to cook and make sure I sleep early to go to work early. I don’t get to watch television anymore on a working day because I’d rather sleep and rest. Also, I can’t do my laundry and my food shopping when I am tired so my days off are usually fully packed as well. Not with parties or events or night outs but with household chores.”
Not only does Darren have to wake up very early for work but as a senior nurse his responsibilities go further than just watching over his patients’ welfare, “but also for my colleagues and whole of the interdisciplinary team as well.”
Working in such an intense job, where people’s lives depend on every choice you make, Darren finds it hard to not think about work and says: “When my shift ends and I am already at home, even if I do not want to, I still think of the things that I have done for the day. I close my eyes and replay in my mind what I have handed over, if I missed something or if I have, by any chance, forgotten something that would massively affect the clinical outcomes of my patients.”
Elemar Lubrica is Darren’s housemate, they met in 2014 and have been friends ever since. Elemar says that being in similar professions allows her to understand where Darren is coming from when the pressure from work is tough, and they can empathise better with each other too. She added: “We also learn from each other, and it somewhat improves both of our knowledge. Moreover, in a span of four years, Darren has achieved a great deal in his profession, and it influences me to be better in performing in my profession as well.”
Darren has lots of ways of coping mentally including reading books and meditating. A lot of his support stems from his friendships he has made through nursing. “My colleagues are wonderful people and they have supported me in every milestone that I have achieved in my career. They also give me personal advice, invite me to night-outs and on how to be a better person,” he describes.
COVID-19 changed Darren’s perception on his job, it made him realise that even well-established healthcare systems are vulnerable. “A lot of nurses have suffered and died during the peak of the pandemic, and I realised how vulnerable we are, how vulnerable I am. I could have died during that time had I contracted the disease. It made me realise the dangers I could face in this profession. I could have lost everything that I have established in my life. I have realised how important it is to take care of myself holistically, so that I can serve more, so that I can serve longer.”
After not seeing his family for two years due to the pandemic Darren’s mental health was taking its toll. The claps for the NHS were “very overwhelming in a positive way.” It helped him to hold onto his faith in his role and helped him to keep going. He knew that if he cracked, he wouldn’t be able to help others.
Darren described the time it became overwhelming: “I was walking one time on my way home after a shift and along the way, people went out from their humble abodes, opened their windows and started clapping.” Clearly emotional he went on to remember: “Then, I saw a middle-aged lady standing by her doorstep smiled at me and I
could lip read her saying ‘thank you for your service’, while clapping. I couldn’t help but tear up that time.” Once Darren was home “I realised that all the hardships and sacrifices that I’ve had and conquered during that time were worth it. I appreciate the claps so much.”
With all the work nurses do does resonate with many of us, many of us agree they should be paid more. Labour Councillor for Boscombe East and Pokesdown, George Farquhar said: “The Conservative Party are refusing to come to the negotiation table, then briefing against them to the media that they do not care about their patients’ wellbeing and safety. Under 13 years of Conservative Government Nurses and hospital workers have seen real terms pay cuts. I personally spoke to a nurse on a picket line outside Bournemouth Hospital in January. She had worked out she was in real terms on less than she was 15 years ago.”
Darren is a member of the Royal College of Nursing, he voted“yes for the past two strikes as I do believe in the causes conveyed but I haven’t participated directly along the picket lines. I still went to work because I didn’t want anyone to suffer.”
Elemar added: “I am in favour in the strike as we sometimes need to let the government recognise our efforts and contribution in improving health and welfare of our patients; nurses deserve to be treated better.”
A lot of nurses have quit due to the hardships and pay, but when asked ‘have you ever thought about quitting?’ Darren said: “Nursing is extremely challenging, but the answer is simple, no, I haven’t.”
