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

You didn't sign up for this, but you are doing the very best that you can with what you have.
And why you DID sign up, is very still obviously there. You signed up to care and help people and use your skills to the best of your ability, which is what you are doing. The fact you go home and cry (is shit!) But means you care .

I'm so sorry work has to be like this everyday, but know that you are appreciated more than anyone can adequately say.
You sound like the very best person for the job, and I really hope the pressure eases for you soon.

Thank you for doing the very best you can OP and all other emergency services, including careworkers.

I'm sorry you're under so much pressure and stress. I'm incredibly appreciative of everything you are doing.

No, you didn't sign up for this, but you are rising to the emergency like a champ
You are doing your very best and that is all anyone could ask for

I am so grateful to you and your colleagues, in the Uk and around the world 💐

I feel the same but we’ve got this, we’re going to get through it and we’ll come out the other side stronger and so proud of our team and our profession

Not a Nurse, but a Home Carer here in solidarity. We didn't sign up to barrier nurse infectious clients at home because they are too old to be considered for hospital admission. When we ordinarily provide end of life care it's with full support from District Nursing teams, GPs and hospice care, not just us with our normal gloves/aprons and some newly issued basic face masks which we know won't actually do a good job of protecting us. For some of our clients we're the only contact they have, and they rely on us for their shopping and cleaning as well as care but we can't even get them the basics because the shelves are bare.

None of us signed up for this and its heartbreaking on so many levels but we'll keep doing what we can until we catch it and have to stop. But at the end of it all just dare the Government refer to us as "unskilled workers" again!

Who the hell voted YABU? Let's be charitable and assume they clicked that by mistake.

Thanks to you, OP, and all other NHS staff and care staff doing the best you can in almost unimaginable circumstances.

No, this isn't what you signed up for. I wish I could do more to support you because as a retired nurse I understand your frustration and heartbreak. We sign up to save lives and bring comfort, not for this shit. And when the rest of the world tells us this is just our job, while classing personal trainers as 'essential workers' like some have on here, words fail me. Yes, it's out job and they should be bloody glad someone's doing it.

Stay strong and if ever you want to pm me, do it xx Sending love and socially distanced hugs to you.

Thank you for the work you are doing. You most definitely didn't sign up for a broken NHS. You and all the other NHS staff who are keeping calm and carrying on are doing absolutely the best job you can in absolutely dire circumstances.

@MarshaBradyo my trust are saying we are not allowed to post anything about Covid-19 on social media, and will face disciplinary action if we do, so I would only be able to do it anonymously which probably wouldn't get much attention!

I am so grateful to you and your colleagues. All I can offer is and and reassurance that anyone who thinks you should just suck it up is a grade A idiot.

I visited my mom who is in end of life care on Weds before the hospital went into lockdown. I may not see her again. The only consolation is that every single member of staff I met on her ward are like you, OP. They CARE. Thank you for what you do. I hope someone like you will be holding my mom’s hand when she needs it most

Thank you OP and thank you to everyone making this crisis that bit more bearable. I am an ex-nurse and have lots of friends who are still ‘in’, as well as lots of non-clinical NHS friends. All are shredded and working their arses off.

Nursing felt terrifyingly unsafe thanks to cuts before this crisis, so I absolutely dread to think how it is now. You must be absolutely on your knees and knowing it’s set to get worse is very worrying indeed. Much, much love to you.

@MMN123 very wise words. 💐🍰

Thank you. I know conditions are hard right now and set to be worse but any care you can give right now will help.

I just hope that all of us who are depending on the NHS and their workers, and praising them and calling them heroes now, will remember them once this crisis has passed, and will pledge to holding our government's (and our own) feet to the fire and properly fund the Health Service going forward.

💐

🏆🌟

Respect. Thank you.

@TheCountessatHotelCortez i would happily look after little one, its my job as a parent, but we just cannot afford for both of us to be off work, my wifes career is more important than mine, i dont even have one, i work for just above minimum wage

Has anyone seen this?, a distraught nurse been working all hours in
hospital while the locusts have been stripping the shops bare!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-51966337/coronavirus-nurse-s-despair-as-panic-buyers-clear-shelves

You are not letting anyone down. You are doing the very best you can under the worst circumstances anyone could imagine. No it’s not what you signed up for, you wanted to help people but the problem is so bad you just can’t help everyone as much as you would like.

I can’t imagine how heartbreaking this must be for you. All I can saw is try to keep your spirits up and remind yourself you can only do your best. And that is all anyone can ask

Thank you for your hard work and dedication, OP. It must be so hard at the moment. You are appreciated even if you don't feel heard.

I did see that, @Justaboy. Grim.

I also saw one of the proposed ‘solutions’ to it, a special ‘key worker shopping hour’ on a Sunday morning before main opening hours. That’s all very well but totally ignores the range of shifts that key workers do. One hour, once a week is going to mean that a lot of key workers are either working or sleeping and unable to hit their allotted slot. A bit of pointless tokenism really.

OP and other workers pushed to their limit my the current situation.

The negative comments are not representative of what most of us think.

I am very grateful for your work and my heart goes out to you.

My mother is a nurse and I know her hospital is stretched at the best of times.

You are doing a great work and of course you did not sign up for that.

Who on earth would be so stupid to say that? In fact, who on earth would be so stupid to even think it? Only the lowest of the low.

OP, I think you can see from all these posts exactly how valued and appreciated you all are. You are all worth a million of these scumbags.

Stay strong.

You didn't. You are absolutely going above and beyond your call of duty. Thank you, so much, for what you do. You are all angels 💐