Sars

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How are all of you coping in Ontario and B.C. with the SARS outbreak. We in Ontario are now shut down and instead of assisting with surgery, we are spending out time screening patients and visitors to our hospital to see who can enter and who cannot. Some people are getting very irate about this situation, and are shooting the messenger, when it is the Minister of health who has decided to do this. I fell sorry for those who have had to wait months or years for their surgery, only to have it put off again. We are now looking at a 2-4 weeks shutdown. Any comments or stories.

This SARS ailment is preventing me from getting hired from the hospitals I have had interviews in. It hasn't done me any favors.

I wish I was able to help out in the hospital, but then on the other hand I don't have to worry about catching it.

Hospitals are not allowing visitors come in and procedures are being cancelled. Nurses can no longer work both in the community and in the hospital. They can only work in one area. Either in the hospital or in the community.

Lot more than 4 links, 8 if you count this one.

General nursing thread- go to SARS in Toronto. Lots of stories and thoughts.

I was suppose to write the CNA Critical Care exam this Saturday and have spent months getting ready. ( like the American CCRN exam) but it has been cancelled due to SARS.

EVERYONE who is a practicing RN right now in Ontario has been affected in some way by this. Some RN's more than others.

It is up to us to remain calm and responsible right now. We need to reflect a professional message back to the public, in my opinion.

Im about to go into my pregrad in 2 weeks. I work at an AIDS hospice on the weekends. This SARS thing has made me take leave of absence once pregrad starts. I have no other way of supporting myself. I already have to go to the foodbank once in a while. I have no idea how Im going to manage financially or if Im even going to be able to finnish school. Ive appiled for some waitress jobs but as soon as they discover you work in a hospital they dont want to hire you in case your infected.

Check the ONA's website. Thier position, which I agree with is that hospitals cannot impose a 2 site limit on nurses.

If proper containment procedures are being practiced, why is this such a concern? If it is a concern can hospital administrators tell us that there is no concern to bring this home to our families.

I work at a hospital with confirmed SARS pts. I have no problem taking care of these pts., my concern is the perception by the public that health care workers are a danger to them. My sitter has voiced concerns and I may lose her, taxi drivers have been reluctant to pick up from the downtown hospitals.

Anyone else feeling worried about public perception of front line workers?

I'm working in Northern Ontario, and yes, patients/visitors etc. are getting quite irate at the "inconvenience" of the screening, restrictions etc. Reassurance and patient just seems to be aggravating them - I agree that all of these measures - if effective, shouldn't prevent workers from being at more than one site; ironically our paramedics are working at 2 and sometimes 3 sites during this time; is my family safe? I sure hope so!

Originally posted by steven44121

Check the ONA's website. Thier position, which I agree with is that hospitals cannot impose a 2 site limit on nurses.

If proper containment procedures are being practiced, why is this such a concern? If it is a concern can hospital administrators tell us that there is no concern to bring this home to our families.

I work at a hospital with confirmed SARS pts. I have no problem taking care of these pts., my concern is the perception by the public that health care workers are a danger to them. My sitter has voiced concerns and I may lose her, taxi drivers have been reluctant to pick up from the downtown hospitals.

Anyone else feeling worried about public perception of front line workers?

I wanted to address a few things here, that relate to the thread on the general nursing discussion site regarding SARS in Toronto.

First, we recieved our first "suspected case" yesterday. I worked beside the patient. There was concern, of course. I do feel however, that we are containing the problem. The pt was delivered to us by nurses wearing "space suits" and is now in a neg pressure room. We are always in gowns-gloves-masks-goggles. It is hot, uncomfortable and we still have to deal with all the other critical pts-codes- and families of critical ill pts who have been allowed in due to the fact their family members are critical. Is it easy? No.

No one has treated me differently, the public... my family.... I think most people understand that we are taking EVERY precaution we can to contain this. Taxis still come to the front of our hospital- buses. I think there is a certain amount of media-hysteria that is present, since we live in such a media-hyped world these days.

Second, there seems to be a perception that I "do not support fellow nurses". This comment from Steven44121 comes in relation to my post regarding another poster (passing thru) that Wendy in Toronto should quit her job and live off credit cards. I felt that advice was stupid and wrong and not justified. However it was taken by most reading it to mean that " I was not supporting " ..... I guess, Wendy.

Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Obivously we all make choices about what we do and how we do it. I was reacting to a unprofessional and misguided post, that I felt did the nursing profession no justice. Sure, I support fellow nurses, BUT I do not support the suggestion that "we" or god forbid even Wendy, quit and hole up and use credit cards. I drew attention to the fact that no one whould suggest this to a doctor, so why a nurse. Is this getting clearer as to my message?

Third, this past weekend was stressful, distressing and at times very uncomfortable. I came home and felt drained. These are unusual times for all of us and I find myself checking all the sites - WHO, CDC and such since it is hard not to think about it when I am home.

Fourth, I am proud to be a RN, proud to say that I am trying to make a difference.

That is it. I know it is a long post. For those of us "out there" take care and be strong.

Just a question, if anyone knows the answer. With sars and Ontario Hospital Association recommendations with the two site limit, what has happened to agency Nursing in Toronto?

I never did agency work myself, but I know many hospitals esp. ICU's relied heavily on agency staff. Maybe it has not been an issue yet since hospitals in T.O. not yet doing O.R.s etc.

RE: sars

we have just started back to allowing elective OR's, DI (CT, MRI, US, and xray) resumed operation. Visitor restriction is still in effect with screening of people entering the hospital. In ER, we have to wear OR greens, gloves and mask with pt. contact. We have a SARS isolation room within the ER. This is still in the works with a chance that it might be lifted by the end of this week. Our facility is following the MOH guidelines and addresses issues from them.

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030405/FCNURS//?query=picard

I do not know if my attempt at putting up a link worked or not, I admit to being cyberspace challenged!! This is a great article by Andre Picard from the Globe and Mail, so you can get to it with a search if it did not work. He speaks in praise if nurses and focuses on one nurses experience with sars having contracted it before all the precautions and measures were implemented.

Her family was shunned and cab drivers in the downtown area are nervous about picking up from the hospital--at least that is what the papers say-- I never take cabs. Perhaps it is media hype, I don't know.

It is such a trying time here in downtown T.O. I have never seen morale so low in 18 years of nursing. Lots of sick time, casuals cancelling, everyone feeling everyone else is not doing what they should be. Half the staff are floated every day as we are a surgical unit doing only emergencies.

I know I as well as everyone else will adjust to this. I guess I am just expressing how down I feel and wondering if anyone else feels the same way. Sorry to be whining.

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