YOUR first year in a new job often comes with a litany of challenges, but for graduate nurses on the COVID-19 pandemic’s front lines, 2020 has thrown up its own set of speedbumps.

After finishing their nursing degrees at university last year, 72 first-year nurses stepped into the Lyell McEwin Hospital’s (LMH) Transition to Professional Practice program at the start of this year, unaware of the unprecedented health crisis which would soon unfold.

In March, their first year was turned upside-down as the COVID-19 pandemic struck and their roles and responsibilities changed almost overnight.

These new nurses range in age, background and life experience, but they have all been forced to train in a demanding health profession while battling the COVID-19 pandemic head-on.

A shock to the system

Chintankumar Desai started his nursing career at the Modbury Hospital, before being moved into the Lyell McEwin’s emergency department.

The University of South Australia graduate spent his first weeks in the job getting used to the demanding environment, but loving his work all the same.

“We had a good initiation and I thought I was all settled in,” Mr Desai said. “I thought ‘yay, how good is it to be a nurse?’

“Then coronavirus restrictions came in and our lives immediately changed.

“My new uniform was PPE (personal protective equipment) and that’s how it is now. When an ambulance brings a patient in we need to put on a mask and gown up.”

No one saw the coronavirus pandemic coming and it took both front line workers and the health system by surprise.

The State Government scrambled, and eventually found, a sustainable supply of PPE for SA’s hospitals, but uncertainty at the onset of the pandemic created an extra problem for nurses.

“At times we had a shortage of masks and stuff, so we weren’t sure how we were going to protect ourselves, as well as the patient and their family,” Mr Desai said.

“We’ve had lots of support from the hospital and management though, so I go home and feel satisfied that I’m a nurse.”

A long way from home

Melissa Delmonico, 22, moved to Australia from her native Canada to study her nursing degree before being offered a position at the ‘Lyell Mac’ at the start of this year.

Throughout the year she has battled the coronavirus as a nurse while also fighting homesickness as she watched the pandemic affect her family and friends in Canada.

“I’m lucky enough my grandparents live here, but the rest of my family is back home and in Canada it’s been very difficult,” she said.

“There’s no words to describe how difficult it is to be on the other side of the world. Even worse yet you don’t have the ability to go home to see people.

“My parents weren’t working, so it was difficult because I was still attending work every single day and they were worrying about me from the other side of the world.”

Finding a balance between work and home life is hard enough for nurses, who work long shifts and often clock up hours of overtime.

Kareena Christian, 34, made the career switch to nursing this year as she wanted to be able to help people in the same way she saw health professionals treating her elderly grandparents.

Now, not only has her work life been ruffled by the pandemic, at home she, along with her husband, have had to home-school their children for periods as schools were closed down.

“It was unknown what was going to happen and everyone was distracted while trying to prepare (for what might happen),” she said.

“You didn’t know what, or if, you were taking something home to your family.

“My children were off school, my husband was working from home and I was going off to work. It certainly was a difficult time.”

“It’s beyond words”

Despite the challenges thrown at them since March, Mr Desai, Ms Delmonico and Mrs Christian have loved their first year as nurses and have no regrets about their career paths.

When asked how they might remember 2020 in a decades’ time, Mrs Christian said the experience would give young nurses the belief they could “do anything”.

“Once we get through this year – and I think we can speak for everyone – we can do anything,” she said.

“The skills we’ve gained to connect people despite the restrictions, despite all the PPE and families not being able to be there means we have been able to be a support to patients.

“I think that in itself is a wonderful skill.”

Mrs Delmonico agreed, saying all nurses, regardless of age and experience, were at one point “scared” as the pandemic unfolded.

“No one at the start knew what was going on,” she said. “So I think 10 years from now, when this is all done and dusted, we’ll have the skills and coping mechanisms to support well-rounded nurses.”

LMH nurse educator Paula Melville, who has supported the trio and their peers throughout their first year, said the state’s health system was “exceptionally proud” of how young people had adapted to working in a pandemic.

“These grads have risen to the challenges thrown at them this year amazingly,” she said.

“All I’ve got to say is that the future of nursing, in 10 years’ time, is in amazingly good hands. I think we’re very fortunate we have an amazing group of graduates coming through.