Medical and Nursing students in their final year at the Universality of Newcastle are preparing to support health care workers deal with the Corona-virus pandemic, as unprecedented strain on the industry continues to increase.
Students were set to undergo clinical placement this week, however, they have since been put on hold.
General Secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association, Brett Holmes, says whilst tertiary students will provide a much-needed helping hand, as demand on the health system in Hospitals and aged-care facilities continues to rise, registered nurses should be employed first.
"We do call upon the Hunter New England local health district to make sure that it has employed as many of our qualified nurses as possible, before they start using students out of the University," says Mr Holmes.
"When students are necessary to bring into the system, we want to make sure they are appropriately placed in safe work place situations... We want to ensure where necessary they are provided with all levels of personal protective equipment that they need to stay safe."
Students that are willing, will have the chance to provide a helping hand in the front-line, completing tasks such as staffing fever clinics, taking temperatures and bathing at Hunter hospitals.
Mr Holmes says assurances need to be made, students will be supervised and supported throughout their shifts, and believes they should be paid for the valuable work they perform.
"We believe they should be employed and paid for this work. Like every worker, they are putting their life at some risk and deserve to be paid for it," he says.
"This is a unique situation where we need to utilize additional staff but we do need to make sure they're safe, their practice is safe and that we can deliver the best possible care in these extraordinary situation."
Concerns have been raised over the availability of masks within the health care system, an issue Mr Holmes says his organisation is sending strong messages to the Ministry of Health about.
"That is an issue which is under constant attention, and we will continue to advocate for our members around the proper provision of personal protective equipment," he says.
"There are masks available, they're just made available on a limited basis. Many people are concerned about the fact this disease is contagious before its symptomatic, which puts many people working in the health system on edge."
"We would appeal to people to not steal masks and sanitizer out of our health system, which is an unfortunate reality that our members have experienced."
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| Image Credit: University of Newcastle |
