‘Set up to fail’ says Tairāwhiti nurse

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Before election candidates spoke at the New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s Maranga Mai Election Evening Hui held recently, several nurses spoke of their experiences in the health sector. The following slightly abridged coverage comes from a Te Whatu Ora-Tairāwhiti nurse who prefers to remain anonymous.

“I have been a nurse for a long time, long enough to see drastic changes in our health system,” she said.

“I became a nurse to make a difference in bridging disparities and poor health outcomes.

“Nursing also exposed a diverse range of people from different backgrounds.

“We’re in a position to help others.

“Nurses are a part of the patient’s health journey, making a difference.

“This is why as a nurse, standing outside the hospital holding a sign asking for safe staffing and better work conditions, is not something we enjoy.

“We strike to improve our working conditions so you hear our voice, that you look up and notice.

“If you took the time to speak to those on the picket line, you would hear stories of unsafe shifts, no toilet or meal breaks, high acuity and high patient loads.

“Our system is failing nurses and patients, but nurses are set up to fail because of the staffing crisis.”

She asked how nurses could be expected to deliver the best care with limited staff.

“As we are all too often short-staffed, I decided to work over my FTE, as I worried for my colleagues knowing they would be under pressure, stressed, and in some cases, in over their heads.

“Regretfully, I pushed my body too hard and as a result sustained injuries that affected my work and my outside life.

“If I had slowed down and didn’t put added pressure on my body, maybe I wouldn’t be in such a poor state now.

“But my focus was on my colleagues struggling to maintain their lives and supporting their patients.

“The pressure of working in an unsafe ward impacted me, not only physically, but mentally.

“I started to suffer from insomnia, my moods were erratic, my body felt like it was in constant shivers and I struggled to participate in a normal life outside of work.

“I was lying in bed or on the couch, whatever area was the quietest.

“During a shift, a voice said I was broken and exhausted.

“I had turned into a crier — I was never a crier.

“Insomnia was the hardest to deal with.

“These long, wakeful nights were brought on by worrying about work and what it would be like on my next shift.

“We need more nurses, more accessible training, better wages and to enable overseas nurses an easier transition.

“We need to close the gap with Māori and Pasifika. My work place needs proper funding. We are an isolated hospital.”

The nurse said the patients deserved it.

“We need nurses to stand and fight back,” she said.