Student nurse struck by patients and nearly brought to tears apologises for TikTok video

Student nurses asked to volunteer to cover severe staffing shortages at Dunedin Hospital. Photo / 123rf

A student nurse who made a TikTok video revealing she had been struck by patients and nearly brought to tears several times during her shift has been forced to apologise.

Staffing shortages were so severe at Dunedin Hospital over the weekend that students from Otago Polytechnic School of Nursing were urgently asked to volunteer to cover shifts.

Twenty-one students put their hand up to fill in for 27 hospital aide shifts.

One documented her shift by posting a TikTok video that went viral.

In the video, which has since been taken down, she said: "I've never worked in a hospital before...so basically the hospital needed people to watch over patients who are a high falls risk or have dementia, things like that, because they need someone literally an arms-length away from them at all times."

She said she felt very unprepared for the shift, had no idea what she was doing and a fellow nursing student was teaching her.

"We are first years teaching first years," she said.

"I've obviously never experienced this before. I almost cried many times throughout my shift and I was actually hit a few times as well, which can just happen with these kinds of patients."

The students weren't paid for their work, because they could not be added to Te Whatu Ora's payroll system, so each student was given a $200 Countdown grocery voucher for each shift worked.

The video was posted on Reddit with dozens of viewers commenting in response. One said: "I mean yeah that's pretty much every young nurse I've seen in this system".

Another said: "On NZ and today's standards, this is unacceptable. It is normal or worse in other countries but of course it is also not acceptable."

Otago Polytechnic School of Nursing head of nursing Karole Hogarth said staff were made aware of the video and acted promptly to remind students of their professional obligations.

"The social media post has been taken down, and the student is writing an apology, as well as a reflection for her own practice."

Hogarth said she was talking to first- and second-year students when she had classes with them to remind them of their professional responsibilities.

The university also said: "Our undergraduate nursing programmes ensure all students are educated and are aware of their professional responsibilities within nursing, which includes adherence to the Nursing Council of New Zealand Code of Conduct, Social Media Guidelines and the profession's Code of Ethics, which cover all aspects of professional practice."

Hogarth said nursing school was contacted late last week to help to cover shifts over the weekend.

"Our staff sent a message to nursing students and 21 students volunteered," she said.

"The feedback we received in general has been really positive."

Last year, in response to the pandemic's impact on nursing, the Nursing Council introduced a new Registered Nurse Programme education standard, which recognises paid employment as "clinical hours" during an emergency of national significance.

This has enabled polytechnics to work with health providers when it becomes clear there are going to be significant workforce issues in relation to staff illness or isolation due to the pandemic, a spokesperson said.

"Nursing students had already been working as part-time or casual healthcare assistants around their studies. This includes credentialed student vaccinators who have enabled the health sector to increase capacity in the Covid-19 vaccination programme."