I didn't sign up for this

[Whentheleavesfalldown]

I've seen this a lot on a few threads, "Well you're the one who signed up to be a nurse"

But I didn't sign up to be discharging patients home before they are ready, without proper support at home.
I didn't sign up to be sending patients home to likely die because their operation has been cancelled or postponed.
I didn't sign up to be preparing to turn the elderly away in favour of younger patients who are just as sick.
I didn't sign up to not be properly protected at work by not having the right equipment.
I didn't sign up to be given poor training on how to vent a patient and be expected to work outside my competency.
I didn't sign up to leave my patients soaked in urine for too long because we're so short staffed and there are sicker patients to deal with.
I didn't sign up to be not supported by managers.
I didn't sign up to have relatives say their last goodbyes to their loved ones over the phone.
I didn't sign up for this.
I signed up to properly care for my patients safely and competently, and now that's not possible.

Don't tell me I signed up for this.

I don't even know why I'm posting this.
I am tired and I am broken knowing that I am letting my patients and their families down, but I can't leave as it'll just be worse for those patients.

We're doing our best in a stressful situation, please take social distancing and isolation seriously, as it's only going to get worse.

From a very tired and broken nurse

Thank you for the work you are doing.
I am taking the virus seriously and I hope to ease the burden just a little bit by doing so.

You absolutely did not sign up for this. This is horrible and extraordinary and you are incredible. Tbh what you signed up for was quite hard enough and already under appreciated. I cannot even imagine what you are going through and thank you so so much.

I didn’t sign up for this. I want to run away. I’m a midwife. I was prepared to support women through the tragic loss of their stillborn angels as well as through the most joyful moments of their lives. I am not prepared to have to risk the lives of mothers and babies if it gets so bad we can’t provide proper care. I didn’t sign up to that.

I didn’t sign up for risking my own life and that of my family by being sent in to care for people with coronavirus without proper PPE.

I want to run away. But largely we won’t. We will step up. We will pull together.

I don’t want to hear about how appreciated we are. I want to hear people signing up to do the other vital work- feeding the nation. If you are young and fit and it’s at all possible to do so- sign up to get the harvest in. Take jobs with supermarkets to get the food out to people.

I’m going to do my part even though I am frightened. I just hope everyone else will do theirs.

Thank you

I'm pretty sure no one has signed up for this but this is completely unprecedented and hard decisions are going to have be made. It's not forever and everyone is incredibly grateful for the hard work and sacrifices being made

OP some people are just thick ignorant pricks who have never done an important day of work in their lives, pay them zero heed

Thank you for posting this because people still aren't getting that all they need to do is stay at home. All the time, no exceptions, no excuses, tough shit, STAY AT HOME.

And I'm so sorry. You dreamed of providing great care, and you can't.

OP- we care about you and we appreciate you. You are amazing and the work you do is amazing.

Just want to encourage you that we recognise how difficult things are now and its bloody inspirational that you keep going despite all of this.
Please dont give up- I know its horrific now but hopefully this will pass soon.

You should tweet this, people need to hear it.

Thank you for what you are doing

Thank you for all you are doing for all of us

(People who say things like "well you signed up for this" are ignorant idiots).

You didn’t sign up for this. Thank you. You and your friends and colleagues are doing an amazing job. Thank you for doing what you are doing and I sincerely hope your profession will be recognised with the pay and respect it deserves.

I think this should be outside mn but not sure if you’d feel ok with that op.

It’s the most understandable, heartfelt and moving message I’ve read over and above the papers so far.

And might actually get people to stay inside.

Like the Italian doctor said on the news last week, nurses are the true heroes of this situation. It's something I realised several years ago when I saw the amazing things you have to do first hand. Thank you so much for what you are doing.

I'm pretty sure nobody signed up for this unprecedented awful time.

Thank you OP. The majority of people are so thankful for the NHS at the moment

It isn’t your fault and it isn’t the fault of your managers. In a pandemic everything becomes overwhelmed. Try to adjust your expectations of yourself and of the nhs. Doctors now have to make decisions they never expected to have to make. Be grateful they carry that burden - you don’t have to. Don’t judge them for it. The burden you carry is that, like working in a war zone, you must adjust rapidly to the new reality and strive to do what you can and accept it can’t ever be enough. There won’t be enough beds or staff or equipment or time. People will die alone. People are being sent home unwell but alive. It will get much worse.

But it will end. In the meantime hold onto the impact you are having and try not to focus on what you could do if you had more time. You can’t control that. Eat and sleep and know when you need a break. Look after your colleagues. And remember that sitting in urine or faeces is unpleasant but it won’t kill you to do so for longer then normal. Focus on keeping people alive. Comfortable won’t always be possible. But you have the skills and compassion to help innumerable people and the whole country is in awe of you. You will never experience this again. Your most experienced colleagues have never experienced this. Everyone is going to struggle. Focus on what you can do. One day you will look back and be proud of the lives you did save. But you will never forget the ones you can’t.

Thank you!!! Xx

I’m so sorry. You’re doing everything you can and we’re all so grateful

Of all the terrible things I have seen on the news and in the papers this week this is what has finally brought me to tears. I have so much respect for all of you. I don’t know how you’re going to get through it but thank you for trying and I do hope in the long run, when this horror is over the NHS is properly funded and supported.

Thankyou to all frontline workers, I will do everything I can to support in any way, which sadly isnt enough x

Thank you 💐

I'm so so sorry for you. I can't imagine how hard this all is for nhs staff. You are all true heroes and I think I speak for the whole country when I say thank you so so much and please don't feel guilty for being under resourced and not having enough time. You are only human, look after yourself. You need to huge pay rise and I hope that when things start to get back to some sort of normality you get one.

From one NHS (non clinical) staff member to another, I salute you. It's chaos in the offices so I can only imagine what it is like on the wards. Well, I might not have to imagine! Come Monday I have been told I most likely will be deployed to a ward to cover staff sickness. My own unit (for which I am the sole secretary) will continue to run as it houses vulnerable inpatient with life changing conditions. So when I return to my normal post in the coming weeks (months?) the world will have piled up and the every day will continue to roll in. I have to say, so far, patients, families, managers etc. Have been brilliant at my trust. I hope that support feeds back to the clinical staff who ate experiencing an unprecedented level of stress on top of what is already a stressful job. You did not sign up for this OP but I am sure your caring attitude, and that of your wonderful colleagues, will carry us all through this dark time!

Massive hugs to you. Had tears in my eyes reading that. I keep saying this but it's all like a huge surreal nightmare. We've just got to do the best we can. If you can still help and support someone, make them comfortable and feel better then you're still doing what you signed up for. That still makes a HUGE difference. I wish I could help in some way.

No way the same and I KNOW he'll recover from it but I'm a SAHM with no idea how to home educate an almost 8 year old who is already very advanced learning wise and better at maths me. I've got to do my best as well as looking after and teaching my 3yo (very hyper with no real interest in learning). It's really upsetting me that eldest is missing his proper education, he thrives on it. I don't know if he'll repeat Y3 or what. I do know that it's worse for older children in the middle of revision/coursework etc but it's all valid. It's all difficult to deal with.

Also got to make my parents (with health issues) stay inside when they just will not listen. I have no friends and they are my only family and support.

Thank you.

I hope all the arseholes who are still going to the pub get to read this