Earlier this year we were fortunate to be able to sit down and speak to the Class of 2008’s Emily Ryan, who’s experience of 2020/21 has been very much at the coal face of Victoria’s response to the COVID pandemic. As a Clinical Nurse Specialist within the Alfred Hospital’s Emergency Department, Emily was able to give us some amazing, and heartfelt insights into her work and life over the past 18 months.
Emily began her nursing career straight out of school, completing her degree at Deakin in Warrnambool. From there she gained a graduate position at The Alfred working on the orthopaedic and trauma ward.
“I always loved it when they’d (patients) come back a few months later. When we had them, they were very sick in bed, and then eventually with our help they would be up walking again.” Emily comments.
While working, she branched out and completed a graduate diploma in Paramedicine. However her passion for nursing and love for working at The Alfred took her in a different direction, and in 2016 she took on a position in the Emergency Department (ED). After working in various roles in ED and completing a post graduate certificate in critical care, she was then placed in the Critical Care section of ED. There she cares for patients in critical emergencies, particularly those involving severe trauma and requiring significant resuscitation.
“It is a very full on area to work. It’s very interesting and very challenging.” Emily explains.
Back in early 2020, Emily was promoted to work as a Critical Care Nurse Leader, overseeing nursing and care in the Critical Care Area. At the time, little did Emily know of the challenges that 2020 was going to present. As soon as COVID cases started appearing, requirements and guidelines for all aspects of nursing from care to the level of personal protective equipment worn changed regularly.
“It was changing daily to start with.” Emily highlights.
During the first wave of the pandemic in Victoria, the focus was on preparation. Emily explains that the initial round of lockdowns saw a dramatic drop in the number of patients presenting at ED, which fortunately gave the care teams the space to plan, and upskill their staff where necessary. Emily’s qualifications and experience saw her as one of a small number of nurses that could work with patients on ventilators. So while the Government reported news of acquiring the highly specialised equipment to care for COVID patients, Emily among others, was on the ground supporting the hospital to quickly and intensively upskill nurses to operate them.
“The amount of work required to be completed by the hospital and staff was unimaginable and wouldn’t have been believed prior to our COVID experience.” Emily says.
Being in that isolation was just horrendous.
It wasn’t until the second wave that Emily’s department saw the intake and care of COVID and suspected COVID patients really start to increase.
“In October when the hard lockdown ended, we were still treating COVID patients and on top of that, normal emergency patients were starting to come back to hospital in high numbers. The Alfred gets a lot of patients choppered in from all around the State, so the hospital was going heavy with COVID, while still dealing with many very sick patients and trauma patients from all over Victoria.”
Throughout the response to the pandemic, care for the care givers also had to be of the highest priority.
“Our safety was so paramount. If a whole heap of us became COVID positive, and could not be at work, we wouldn’t have the nurses.”
The ongoing battle our Health Care Services face remains hunamised by Emily’s approach and respect for her patients.
“All the COVID patients couldn’t have visitors at all. Being in that isolation was just horrendous and horrible. [In cases where] they were dying, they just had the nurse with them. They were alone. I always made sure that when they were about to pass, they had a nurse with them, so they weren’t completely by themselves.”
Towards the end of 2020, Emily was selected by her leadership team to represent the Emergency Nurses at The Alfred at an exclusive reception at Government House.
Victorian Governor, Linda Dessau AC hosted the event to recognise the remarkable efforts of Victorian nurses in 2020, particularly those who cared for patients with COVID-19.
You are amazing Emily! Thank you for your service during this challenge that impacted all of our lives in 2020/21.
