“Landscape” that was too different from my imagination New nurse May 6, 1st 19:19
A new type of coronavirus that rages not only in big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, but also in local cities.
Base hospitals in depopulated areas take care of patients all at once and are always in danger of medical collapse.
For a new nurse who started working at the hospital last year, this year has been a battle against the new Corona.
We interviewed nurses who continued to make efforts while being infected by themselves and being mentally cornered.
(Okayama Broadcasting Station reporter Kazuaki Hirama)
At the last fortress
Northern Okayama prefecture adjacent to Hyogo prefecture.
Tsuyama Chuo Hospital, located in Tsuyama City with a population of about 100,000, is one of only four designated medical institutions for infectious diseases in the prefecture, and has been actively accepting critically ill patients as a base hospital in depopulated areas.
The hospital faced a medical collapse last October.
In order to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of patients, the number of beds for infected people, which was only 8 beds, was increased to 24 beds, but the spread of the infection quickly became tight.
In this area, advanced treatment using a ventilator is only possible at Tsuyama Chuo Hospital, but we had to decline the request from a nearby medical institution to accept critically ill patients.
Immediately after that, the patient died.
It was the moment when the "last fortress" hospital collapsed.
“In-hospital cluster”
A further boost was the clusters that occurred in the hospital.
In an inpatient ward separate from the ward where patients with the new corona are treated, 24 people, including patients and nurses, were infected one after another.
After the cluster, the hospital hurriedly moved the inpatients to another ward.
The nurse's PCR test was also carried out promptly.
The tests were done every other day, and the nurses wore protective clothing to care for the patient.
A new nurse I met during the interview
As I continued to cover the hospital, I met a new nurse, Mr. Kawashima (pseudonym) at that time.
I was working in the ward where the cluster occurred.
Mr. Kawashima responded to the interview while eating cake and coffee in the coffee shop of the hospital.
After a while, he confessed, "I don't really know the taste because of the aftereffects," and for the first time I learned that Mr. Kawashima was one of the nurses infected in the cluster.
"Frustration" that did not save lives
Mr. Kawashima talked about the regret in his heart.
After the infection, the patient who was in charge of it died during 10 days of home care.
The patient is an elderly person who was hospitalized for a skin condition.
At that time, my skin condition improved and my condition suddenly changed with the new Corona, even though I was discharged soon.
After he died, he heard that his family was saying, "Thank you for cleaning up so much," and he said he was full of regret.
The synchronization that supported my heart that was about to break
Mr. Kawashima has four people in sync.
Synchronous is a relationship where you can vomit each other's soft sounds.
When I was forced to take care of myself at home due to the infection of the new corona, it helped me to buy food without saying anything, which was a support to my heart.
After confirming the infection, Mr. Kawashima gave up attending the wedding ceremony of his beloved sister, who was about to wait.
I helped with dress selection and I was looking forward to it as if I were myself, but even if I didn't have to worry about infecting people, I was worried about how it would look like a nurse at the hospital where the cluster occurred.
It was because I didn't want to bother my sister.
At that time, it is said that the synchronous word "Let's overcome together" helped us.
The synchronization that forced me to take leave ...
However, there are some synchronizations that could not accept the harsh reality.
This is Mr. Takeda (pseudonym) who has dealt with critically ill patients with the new corona.
It was last year's New Year's Eve that something happened to Mr. Takeda.
The in-hospital cluster converged and I couldn't get out of bed in the morning for a while.
After that, I lost my appetite, and in the worst case, I felt nausea just by looking at the food.
Even so, I continued to work because of my sense of responsibility, but eventually I couldn't get out of the car even if I went to work by car.
Mr. Takeda was diagnosed with "depression" in January.
I was forced to take a leave of absence.
Extreme tension and pressure
Mr. Takeda felt extreme tension and pressure in his first year ward.
Do you not infect yourself or infect the patient?
How to deal with patients who are becoming more severe with the new corona.
Anxiety and worries come one after another.
Although Mr. Takeda did not get infected by himself, his cancer patient got infected and became seriously ill.
"It's difficult to cure completely, and life expectancy is short." While the
doctor made a strict judgment, the patient repeatedly called the nurse call, "It's painful and painful."
Mr. Takeda went to the hospital room each time and rubbed his back many times.
I could only touch my back.
What Mr. Takeda felt he couldn't do was that the patient couldn't see his family.
Due to the new Corona, all inpatients were banned from visiting their families.
Especially for infected patients.
The visit was allowed just before the patient died.
The end when the word "painful" no longer appears.
It is said that the appearance of a family who sheds tears does not leave Mr. Takeda's mind.
"I want to fulfill my promise with my grandpa in heaven."
Mr. Takeda, who was on leave, was reminded of his original intentions.
What made me want to become a nurse ... It was because I regretted not being able to do anything to my grandfather who died at home when he was in junior high school.
Mr. Takeda aspired to be a nurse, thinking "I want to help people who suffer from illness like grandpa."
He promised his grandfather, who had come up with a dream, to "become a nurse," and started working in hopes of Tsuyama Chuo Hospital, where he died.
Mr. Takeda, who took a leave of absence despite becoming a nurse with a strong feeling, said that he repeatedly apologized to his grandfather, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
At the same time, I was driven by the thought, "Is it okay to end here? I want to fulfill my promise with my grandpa."
In the second year ward
Three months after taking leave, in April, Mr. Takeda was seen in the ward.
He returned as a second year nurse.
On that day, I moved an elderly man who had been hospitalized from bed to a wheelchair and took a walk in the hospital.
Mr. Takeda (pseudonym)
"I was wondering if I could treat the patient in such a state, but I am happy that I feel that it is useful for the patient. I just learn from the patient."
Passed the national examination with the "support" of the same period
On the other hand, Mr. Kawashima also received good news this spring.
I passed the national examination and was able to become a nurse from an associate nurse.
What supported me was my own notebook lent by Mr. Takeda, who was on leave.
I've been making it since Mr. Takeda attended a nursing school.
Cutouts and illustrations of reference books are attached to the notebook, and it is the result of efforts that originally made the thickness of about 3 cm swell to about 20 cm.
Mr. Kawashima still has a sequelae and his sense of taste and smell have not returned.
However, when he saw Mr. Takeda's notebook, he was encouraged to say, "I have to do my best."
The current situation that depends on the “sense of mission” of nurses
The two had the opportunity to visit the park together, which overlooks the city.
It's a place of memories where I talked about my dreams and goals of becoming a nurse a year ago.
While looking at the same scenery as a year ago, the two said, "It was different from the first year I had imagined," choosing the words.
Mr. Kawashima (pseudonym)
"I imagined that the entire ward would be calm and I would gradually learn to work as a newcomer. It was a really busy year with the new Corona, but I felt a sense of responsibility and tension as a nurse. I was able to feel it. "
Mr. Takeda (pseudonym)
"I wish I had not only worked hard with" I want to do my best, I want to do my best ", but also faced my physical condition and heart properly. I want to
As the infection continues to spread, the burden on the medical field is becoming longer.
Is it okay to rely on the personal sense of mission of nurses fighting at the forefront?
I felt that there is a need to create a system that supports medical professionals and medical institutions throughout society, not to mention that we do not infect or infect.
Okayama Broadcasting Station Reporter
Kazuaki Hirama Covering the
medical field
fighting against the new corona
at the
forefront.
Close contact with
online medical
sites.