Episode 16: The Impact of COVID-19 on Nurses' Job Security and Pay

In this podcast, the topic of requiring nurses to use their vacation days when they contract Covid-19 is discussed. Numerous hospitals are in such dire need of staff that they encourage nurses who have tested positive for COVID-19 to return to work if they are symptom-free and are wearing full PPE.

 This is because so many hospitals are in dire need of personnel. This circumstance places these nurses, who are already undervalued and overburdened, under severe mental and physical strain, which is cause for concern.

The solution is straightforward: explicit legislation should cover the sick leave of nurses who miss work due to COVID-19, regardless of whether they have received vaccinations or their division.

Self-care must be a top priority for nurses, who must not risk their health for their profession's sake. 

Transcript

Intro
To say it’s been a crazy few years would be an understatement. We live in an ever changing world, one constantly challenging people to their very core. It is because of this we aim to create assuredness in an uncertain world. Welcome to the Project ReNew podcast, a show for nurses - and angels looking to help nurses - and anyone in
search of motivation. Let’s bring you and your passion back to where you were when you first started out. Let’s reignite that fire together. This is the Project ReNew Podcast.


Episode 17: The Impact of COVID-19 on Nurses' Job Security and Pay

 The Problem Nurses already feel underappreciated and overworked and now, a report by NBC News has illustrated that many hospitals are asking nurses to use their own vacation days when they catch covid-19. Some have even been told to return to work if they are asymptomatic, as long as they wear full PPE at all times. How have we got to this point in our human history?

Throughout the pandemic, nurses were heralded as Heroes, or angels on Earth. Now, we are expecting nurses to go into a hospital when they test positive for Covid-19- the place where they most likely contracted the virus. Would you be happy if your relative was treated by a nurse who tested positive for covid-19?

 Most likely the answer is absolutely not.

 And yet, the staffing crisis is so severe that managers are grasping at anything and anyone to get their staffing level up. Although the public are calling us Heroes, this is not how we are being treated at work. And it is absolutely sickening. To name and shame, one of these hospitals is the St. Francis Medical Center in California.

This hospital is using those who are currently positive for Covid-19 to treat the Covid-19 patients. Now let's stop and think about this. This is like asking a nurse who is currently diagnosed with breast cancer to go and work in the oncology ward. It is quite simply traumatic and inhumane on another level.

 To be diagnosed with a deadly  viral illness, and then be asked to go and treat patients who are dying of this illness, could cause PTSD, panic attacks, depression anxiety, and altogether increase the likelihood that a nurse would leave the profession.

The Californian hospital cited “Critical staffing shortages currently experience across the Healthcare Continuum because of Omicron”.

The irony is that if you force nurses to work when they are already sick, it will cause an even higher staffing shortage - either from the nurse becoming even more unwell and be forced to take long term sickness, or because the nurse's mental health will be so deteriorated that they will leave the profession.

The Explanation Nurses are currently being threatened with their pay being docked if they take sick leave due to covid. The issue with covid is that the amount of time needed to recover is so variable - some people can recover within 4 to 5 days, whereas other people develop long covid and are still not recovered after 2 years. Currently we do not know enough about the virus to understand why people's recovery times are so vastly different. However, what we do know is there are hospitals taking advantage of nurses by cutting their pay when the nurses are off sick with covid.

All over the world, special sick leave was introduced for nurses during a pandemic. It meant that all nurses should have been entitled to full pay if they tested positive for covid-19. This is because nurses were heralded as front-line staff, heroes of the Healthcare industry, literally putting their life at risk to save others. However, we seem to have forgotten all about it now.

 This could mean that many nurses are suffering financially, simply just by going to work and supporting their patients to recover from covid. So as covid is such an infectious illness, it is highly likely that a nurse could test positive multiple times a year, even if they are fully vaccinated and boosted. Having multiple absences in a year, with no protection for sick leave due to covid, could mean that a nurses absence record would look very high to a new employer and it could trigger consequences for their job. This is the thanks we get by management for putting our life on the line - all for an underpaid job where we are severely overworked.

 The Solution Covid is not going away anytime soon. This life-threatening virus is here to stay. And as long as it sticks around, the threat to nurses’ pay and job security is very real. Therefore, nurses around the world are working in an occupational hazard, which management is disregarding. How are nurses supposed to feel valued in this situation? The pay is already very low. There are many nurses using food banks and claiming from the government just to scrape by. And now, nurses are going to be punished even more for taking sick leave due to a virus they caught from work.

 The solution is simple: whatever state or country you are living in, there must be clear legislation that protects the sick leave of nurses who are taking time off work due to covid-19. This should not be reliant on vaccination status, or the department that you work in - this should be a universal right for nurses, in order to increase job retention and and overall increase the internal happiness that nurses feel about their role.

 A Question to Consider

 Do you feel a sense of guilt when you take sick leave? 

As you ring your manager to explain that you won't be attending your shift, do you feel a knot in your stomach?

 Can  you rest peacefully, or do you feel like you are letting your team down? How many times have you dragged yourself into work when you are not well, just because you know your department is so understaffed anyway?

 This is not self care. This is self sacrifice. You are going to make yourself even more sick in the long run if you force yourself to attend work when you are unwell. 

If you overwork yourself, it will cause burnout, and then you'll be taking sick leave for your mental health-not just your physical.

Sources For Help and Advice

 https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/-slap-face-nurses-told-use-vacation-si ck-days-stay-home-test-positive-rcna12140 https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news/covid-19-sick-pay-arrangements-nurse s-to-be-withdrawn-186911 https://nursingnotes.co.uk/news/special-paid-leave-for-covid-sickness-and-isolation-scrap ped-for-nhs-workers/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8872054/ https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla/pandemic

Outtro
We really hope you enjoyed this episode of the Project ReNew Podcast. Stay connected with us through www.ProjectReNew.Co. You can also join this discussion on Twitter @ProjectReNewPod, and on Instagram at @ProjectReNewPodcast. If you would like to speak with us, please send us an email through our website. As always, thank you for pushing your mindset and your heart towards a better reality. This concludes the most thought-provoking part of your day. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to stay fully up to date. Until next time, be kind to yourself, and to
each other.

 As a fellow nurse, I want to take a moment to express my appreciation for each and every one of our listeners. 

As nurses, we are all part of an essential and noble profession, and our dedication and hard work make a real difference in the lives of our patients. 

As Brené Brown says, ' Resilience is the ability to move through difficult experiences and to come out on the other side with wisdom and compassion.' 

Our podcast is dedicated to exploring resilience from trauma and the pandemic, providing practical advice and reviews of symptoms to help our listeners navigate these challenging times.

It's important to note that the information provided in our podcast is for educational and informational purposes only.

 The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

 Always seek the advice of your physician, other qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health condition.

 As a colleague, I encourage you to continue to listen to our podcast, engage with the content, and use it to enhance your nursing practice and further your professional and personal growth."