I agree with this post concerning the impact that the current Covid-19 has had on people’s lives, and specifically on nurses and other healthcare professionals. The writer raises legitimate concerns about the worth of a nurse to a hospital system, especially during these challenging times. One of the issues that arise in this post is the blurred lines between duty, responsibility, and self-preservation. According to Morley et al. (2020), in the battle against Covid‐19, “the safety of nurses and other health care workers on the front lines is a pressing ethical concern, as they are asked to work under conditions that pose substantial and inadequately understood risks to their overall health and well‐being” (p. 35). The writer of this post is bold enough to delve into areas that many nurses would rather avoid in their discussions. For instance, the writer confesses that he or she is unsure of the extent that which he or she will go to save a patient’s life if it means putting his or her own life in line.
Additionally, the author expresses a major issue that most nurses have with their employers – a deep running mistrust between the two parties. A study carried out by Mousazadeh et al. (2019) showed that the management style in place is one of the many reasons contributing to the lack of job satisfaction among nurses. This assertion resonates well with the post’s view when the author notes that he or she was appalled to learn that despite receiving increased premiums from patients diagnosed with Covid-19 in line with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the employer has not taken any measures to support nurses should anything happen to them in the line of their duty. The writer of this post has done impressive work by speaking out his or her heart – effectively giving voice to many nurses who are not comfortable about raising these issues in the workplace.
References
Morley, G., Grady, C., McCarthy, J., & Ulrich, C. M. (2020). Covid-19: Ethical challenges for nurses. The Hastings Center Report, 50(3), 35-39.
Mousazadeh, S., Yektatalab, S., Momennasab, M., & Parvizy, S. (2019). Job satisfaction challenges of nurses in the intensive care unit: A qualitative study. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 12, 233–242.