Traveling nurses Candace Brim, left, and Janet Stovall, right, are based in North Carolina but have been traveling to California to work in intensive care units since the beginning of this year. They are now working in hospitals in Alameda and Folsom. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters
In summary
I have seen the bleak effects that COVID-19 has had on the nursing staff, but I’m ready to help those who have sacrificed so much.
By Della Turner, San Diego
Della Turner is a nursing student at California State University, San Marcos.
Long before I decided to move into nursing as a second career, during pre-pandemic times, I have been hearing about nursing shortages and how it’s just going to get worse as nurses decide to retire.
COVID-19 was understandably the breaking point for far more than retiring nurses. As a nursing student, set to graduate in May 2022, I have seen the effects that COVID has had on the nursing staff. The impression can be bleak, but I find myself biting at the bit to be able to finally graduate, enter the workforce and help those who have sacrificed so much during this time.
It’s certainly a naïve perspective. What do I know about what it’s like to be a nurse during the pandemic? But I’d rather start my nursing career believing that there can be post-traumatic growth that includes policy changes for the better and know that I can be one more addition to the burnt out nursing pool.
This nursing student is ready to enter the workforce
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In summary
I have seen the bleak effects that COVID-19 has had on the nursing staff, but I’m ready to help those who have sacrificed so much.
By Della Turner, San Diego
Della Turner is a nursing student at California State University, San Marcos.
Re “Nurse shortages in California reaching crisis point”; Coronavirus, Aug. 26, 2021
Long before I decided to move into nursing as a second career, during pre-pandemic times, I have been hearing about nursing shortages and how it’s just going to get worse as nurses decide to retire.
COVID-19 was understandably the breaking point for far more than retiring nurses. As a nursing student, set to graduate in May 2022, I have seen the effects that COVID has had on the nursing staff. The impression can be bleak, but I find myself biting at the bit to be able to finally graduate, enter the workforce and help those who have sacrificed so much during this time.
It’s certainly a naïve perspective. What do I know about what it’s like to be a nurse during the pandemic? But I’d rather start my nursing career believing that there can be post-traumatic growth that includes policy changes for the better and know that I can be one more addition to the burnt out nursing pool.
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