“I've been working in this industry for two years now. But now I need to focus on my health,” says Jessica Knudson.
Ms Knudson, who migrated from Canada to Australia seven years ago, recently quit her job as an assistant in nursing at a NSW aged-care centre.
The 27-year-old tells SBS Malayalam she had been trying to get hands-on experience to complement her nursing studies, but "unsafe working conditions" led her to quit.
Highlights:
- 'The staffing levels are unsafe': Lorri-Ann Sharp, acting federal secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation
- Survey by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) reveals one-third of junior doctors in Victoria have considered quitting their jobs during the pandemic
- Experts say nurses and women are most affected by the pandemic
The role was becoming just too much.
“COVID has highlighted big issues within aged care. There has been chronic understaffing for years now. People are having to miss their breaks, there's unpaid overtime. We are being asked to do more with nothing in return.”
Jessica Knudson quit her job at an aged-care centre Source: Jessica Knudson
“We don't have proper fitting masks. There seems to be little support or leadership from management or the government.”
'The pressure is immense'
Lorri-Ann Sharp, acting federal secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, says Ms Knudson's case is not a one-off and that the full impacts of COVID on the industry are still unknown.
“The pressure on healthcare workers right now is absolutely immense,” she says.
“We know that many of our members — nurses, midwives and carers or assistants in nursing, who work in aged care — are just completely exhausted.
Many are doing double shifts and some are working 18 hours. The staffing levels are unsafe.
Late last year a survey conducted by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) revealed that one third of the junior doctors in Victoria have considered quitting their jobs during the pandemic.
Thirty two per cent of the doctors who participated in the survey said that excess workload during the pandemic was affecting their mental and physical health.
The acute staff shortage in the health sector is also affecting doctors who want to retire, with the AMA telling SBS Malayalam that GPs are saying they are postponing retirement due to not having a replacement.
Dr Chris Moy, vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, says the fight against COVID has gone on so long and the pressure is so heavy that some want to leave their jobs.
He adds that migrant healthcare workers are in a particularly difficult position.
“Migrant healthcare workers who have come to Australia for a pleasant experience may find the current circumstances daunting,” Dr Moy says.
“For some, being without extended family is another huge blow to their morale.”
‘We are also human beings’
Last week, Victoria activated a Code Brown alert which allows healthcare staff to be redeployed to different areas.
The state activated this measure across multiple hospitals for the first time in history due to the soaring number of COVID-19 cases putting enormous pressure on the health system.
Sreeja Sanjai, who is an associate nurse unit manager in the COVID ward at a Melbourne hospital, says the pressure has been particularly acute since the Christmas-New Year break.
“In the earlier waves, we didn’t face such a shortage of staff. But now healthcare workers are infected with COVID and are in isolation, so staff are stretched to the limits in most hospitals.”
Ms Sanjai says many healthcare professionals are working double shifts across many days, with the threat of burnout affecting their motivation to work.
Nurses are under enormous pressure due to acute staff shortages Source: Sreeja Sanjai
For many nurses it has become difficult to cope both physically and mentally. I am proud to be a nurse, but personally, I don’t feel the same enthusiasm as before.
“I still have the passion for the job, and I still feel the responsibility towards the patients — we have been looking after COVID patients for the last two years — but the enthusiasm is not the same.
“We are also human beings and we badly need a break.”
Ms Sanjai explains that long hours of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) is extremely exhausting, especially as just drinking water means removing all PPE.
“Then, after we reach home, we are not able to spend relaxing time with our kids and family. We are anxious about what awaits us the next day. We are worried about whether there will be enough staff in the COVID ward the next day. We are worried about other staff members also.”
Dr Shahir Ahmed Kaithal says this uncertainty adds to an already stressful profession.
Even after recently becoming a close contact, the NSW-based consultant physician and nephrologist had to go to work.
“My son contracted COVID-19 and I still had to go to the hospital due to the staff shortage,” he says.
Out of the five doctors at my facility, three were on leave. If I took leave then that would have put immense pressure on the one doctor on call.
Doctors are under pressure due to acute staff shortages in hospitals Source: Dr Shahir Ahmed Kaithal
Mental health support for healthcare workers
Melbourne-based mental health clinician Jeffin George says the redeployment of staff to different sectors not only affects the workers but also the quality of the services that are being delivered.
It is very demanding. Sometimes I ponder how I can continue in this job. I tell myself that God has given me this job to serve others and push myself.
He says many frontline workers are still taking their work as an opportunity to serve, but many are also struggling. Some are leaving the health sector.
“Losing experienced staff is affecting the quality of service,” he says.
During this difficult time, healthcare workers are encouraged to seek help when needed, says Associate Professor Jill Newby of the Black Dog Institute, a medical research institute dedicated to researching mental health.
Assoc Prof Newby says research from around the world tends to show that nurses, and particularly women, are most affected by the pandemic.
Young adults, junior doctors and junior nurses just out of university are also among the most affected groups.
She explains that the Black Dog Institute is
The support includes factsheets about different problems that healthcare workers face and digital mental health assessments.
