International Nurses Day 2020: Former Nurses Share Experiences on the Frontlines

My family is many generations of doctors and medical professionals. As a child, I spent hours visiting my father’s work at the hospital. It was so exciting seeing medical equipment and people in white coats. I felt so proud that my father took care of kids and helped them get better. My grandparents were doctors and my sister is a nurse (currently taking care of coronavirus patients). For me, it was the most natural choice. I had no doubts when choosing my professional path.

Thank them for their hard work. Any kind of appreciation helps, and the more the merrier. During routine work, it’s rare to hear a simple “thank you.” Their dedication and devotion should not be taken for granted. It’s important to bring to public and governmental attention their working conditions, which could be better. While many people are working from home or out of work, nurses have to leave their families to take care of others, risk their lives, and potentially expose their family members to sickness.

For me personally, part of the reason is being an ER and ICCU nurse in an environment with quick changing conditions. I have the medical background and knowledge of understanding the diseases and medications, learning the latest in drug development. I think another reason is because we’re part of the effort to bring new medications to people with few available treatment options.

I was drawn into the profession because my mum was a nurse/midwife/health visitor. As a child, my mum was frequently asked to help neighbors treat wounds and advise. I remember as a small child witnessing a car accident and my mum was the first on the scene. I was in awe of her and wanted to be like her. Through her experience, I saw career options in the health care profession. I also wanted to travel and having a nursing/midwifery qualification allowed me to work in Saudi Arabia for several years.

I would urge everybody to adhere to the current COVID 19 guidelines, stay home, and protect our healthcare workers. Healthcare workers didn’t sign up to put their lives on the line, but to treat and care for their patients. They are stepping up and making sacrifices and we need to do our part. During this time, the general public can assist by staying home, listening to and appreciating healthcare workers, and volunteering.

I can only guess at their reasons for making this career change. They probably want to keep a link with healthcare but work more sociable hours. Believe me, after 20 years, I still appreciate my weekends and being able to plan my weekends in advance. Nurses come into the profession to make a difference. Through research, we can still make a difference.

I am always happy helping others to be happy. It’s rewarding to care for the sick and see them recover. This profession also helps my family members regarding their health. I’m at my best when I’m able to help or give care to others.

It’s a difficult time for nurses and other healthcare providers to provide the best possible care while protecting themselves. We aim for high standards with limited resources. The general public must help by protecting themselves and understanding the situation. This will help us a great deal to allocate resources for the sickest people. Raising public awareness will make everyone healthy.

Most of us may start with study coordinators or CRAs in our industry. The main CRA skills are communication, coordination, and a health sciences background. We all have patient-centric concepts and collaborative skills with involved parties in order to achieve project goals. PRA work ethics also fit with nursing competencies.

To make a difference.

The general public needs to respect the personal sacrifices and commitments that nurses make and will continue to make when faced with future challenges. We all need to respect the government guidelines around social distancing to protect and allow the healthcare workers and other frontline staff to safely meet the demands of this coronavirus.

For me personally, I worked as a research nurse in the late 80s at the forefront of the HIV epidemic. I saw firsthand the impact that the pharmaceutical industry had on treatment options and long-term survival outcomes for patients diagnosed with HIV.

Why PRA? It’s our diversity in offering a broad range of therapeutic areas, and also our people. COVID has really highlighted PRA’s culture of one family and our commitment to our teams and trial subjects.

My mother and grandmother were nurses. It was in the family!

I think a campaign to ensure going forward that nurses are better paid and supported within the National Health Service would be a good idea. It would attract more people into the profession.

I think many nurses leave the profession due to inflexible shift patterns. The pharmaceutical industry is a natural progression, as we can use our skills and knowledge acquired over many years in a similar environment. We have many crossover skills, we’re excellent communicators with good organizational skills, and we’re great people managers. Many nurses, including myself, are also involved in research projects within the NHS and bring this experience with them.

I wanted to improve patients’ lives, contribute to developments of new treatments, and support patients in uncertain circumstances.

Adhere to the extra rules and restrictions, especially social distancing, because this has an effect on the pressure on hospitals, and so on nurses’ workloads.

The intrinsic motivation is the same—supporting people, contributing to treatment improvements, and directing drugs to the market faster.

Both my parents are dentists. I helped them out at the practice by supporting with patient admin and even preparing easy cases when no assistants were available. I started to work in an assisted living facility when I was 15 outside school hours. It made me feel accomplished and proud helping elderly and sick people early in my life. I can’t recall ever having desire for another profession.

Initially I wanted to study medicine, but I felt that I would benefit from training as a nurse first. Clinical research found its way into my heart before I could start studying medicine, though.

The work conditions must be improved (salaries, benefits), as well as the public appreciation. I have worked as nurse in Germany and Sweden and I saw very different approaches to the job.

In current times, I believe we all have to pull together and thank medical staff for pulling through when they have their own families, young children, and parents at home. They put their life on the line for all of us. If you know a medical professional living in your area, offer to do their shopping or ask if they need support with childcare.

It helps to understand “the other side.” I started as an in-house CRA in the industry 15 years ago, and I understood very well what was happening at the site. I think our medical backgrounds help us understand what we’re doing at PRA and why we’re doing it, and especially WHO we do it for.

I started as a manager of a psychiatry ward and I later became a manager of a group of wards. This gave me the opportunity to be there for the employees in my team, supporting them where needed to give the best care for our patients.

I was also part of the policy team of the hospital, which gave me the feeling that I had influence in the process of giving the best care. Only when the government decided to decrease the financial support for the hospitals and promote the treatment for daycare and extramural, we had to decrease the amount of nurses on our team. As a result, student nurses had to work alone on a difficult group of psychiatry patients.

After nearly seven years, I was sad and tired of the fight and was losing the feeling that I could stop the change. Believe me, the change to more day treatment and outdoor patients was good, but people still within the hospital could not move to this new treatment.

Be respectful—not only in times we need nurses, but always. I tried to have regular moments together with my team once in a while, like a meal outside together. Doing fun activities with your coworkers is very important because it offsets the hard and emotional moments. Small gifts help because they show nurses that you think about them and it’s much appreciated.

You leave the hospital not because you don’t want to care, but you want to care in a different way.

Even remaining a small part of the field of medicine is incredible. When I started as a CRA, those patients become (on paper) people you know and take care of. You follow the whole process of a patient during a trial and you enjoy being a part of that process.

I think nurses are used to the hospital atmosphere. We’re practical, hardworking, and multitasking people. I loved to have people like that on my team. PRA is an open and communicative company. Here, you feel like family. PRA recognizes you as an individual.

As a seven-year-old girl, I decided I wanted to become a nurse. Both my nanna and auntie were nurses. They were inspirational ladies and I wanted to be like them. I wanted to make a difference by saving, extending, and improving quality of life.

They can follow government guidance. Stay at home, wash your hands, and socially distance to keep our nurses and doctors safe and reduce the number of people being admitted to the ICU. When this is all over, the general public needs to remember how important our nurses are and to fight for them to have better pay and to be recognized for the amazing work they do. We all need to recognize the difference they’ve made during this pandemic and how they’re so selfless for putting others’ needs before their own.

The reason we are all drawn to the industry and PRA is the need to make a difference. As a nurse, I worked on a Coronary Care Unit and impacted small numbers of people. Working for PRA, I have a much bigger impact. I can make a difference to the wider population, researching into new medicines and devices that will improve the lives of many generations in many therapeutic areas.

It’s a family influence for me. My mum was ophthalmologist, so I always awaited my mum to finish her evening rounds so we could go home together when I was young. The hospital is like my second home and nurses are like my family members.

I think the general public is appreciative during these challenging times. Everyone can see the sacrifice nurses make and the risks they take. It would be helpful if the general public doesn’t avoid nurses or their families as ”germ carriers.” If they are your neighbor, just treat them as part of your community as you normally would.

Personally, I would say clinical research is an extension of patient care. Many nurses have moved from the front lines to clinical research, and they bring their frontline experience to drug/vaccine/medical device development to benefit patients and prevent disease.

I was a member of St. John Ambulance in my high school. I represented my high school for a competition and prior to the competition, I was posted to a nursing school for one day to learn about nursing skills. That was when I first came in touch with nursing.

I took up nursing courses after graduating from high school. During the clinical attachment in the hospitals, I had physical contact with the patients. I felt great satisfaction helping them by applying what I’ve learned.

I hope the general public shows respect to nurses. In Singapore, the general public shows more respect to doctors rather than nurses. I believe nurses should receive equal respect because they work together as a team to ensure the patients are taken care of.

During this challenging time, I hope the general public is socially responsible by ensuring proper hand hygiene and social distancing. This will slow down the spread of COVID-19 and sustain medical resources.

It must be our passion to save more lives!

To be able to help and also to understand all functions in the body, what diseases do to it, and what cures may be available for treatment.

Please show appreciation for healthcare efforts and support healthcare in your community. It helps to provide more positive pictures of healthcare in public forums.

Nurses are organized, with exceptional logistical and conversational skills. Solving acute issues is just one of the things we’re used to doing. The mix of strictly organized and out-of-the-box solutions in acute issues is stimulating.

I was drawn into midwifery as a profession because I felt it was a good combination of human biology (my undergraduate degree) and a medical environment. I also liked that supporting women giving birth is generally a happy time for everyone. That was a lovely impetus to go into work every day!

I think the best way to currently support midwives and nurses is to remember that they are people too. They appreciate it when someone takes the time to say thank you or acknowledge the extra mile they go to provide the best care for their patients.

I think many people with a midwifery/nursing background are drawn to our industry. It’s a way to be part of fast-moving initiatives that are at the forefront of medicine, especially with PRA’s innovative digital solutions that access clinical trial patients in new and exciting ways.

As a child, I expressed to my parents that I wanted to become a nurse. The feeling of taking care of someone and helping them to get better was uplifting. Many people, especially the elderly, are socially isolated and in a lot of cases, the social part of the job was one of the best parts.

Please acknowledge the hard work that nurses do. It’s not only a physical job, but a mental job as well.

The general public needs to understand that nurses are also people with emotions and feelings.

Stepping into the CRO industry after being a nurse is logical. Nurses cannot keep up with the physical aspect of the job forever, but they still want to care. Our industry gives the satisfaction of caring for other people in the widest meaning of the word.

Having direct impact on people’s lives and taking on the opportunity to meet and build relationships with people.

Once we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, I hope people will have a better understanding of what nurses do and be more considerate of nurses as individuals, recognizing the importance of the profession.

At PRA, your clinical background is hugely beneficial in understanding protocols, clients, and most significantly, the sites and patients. Regardless of your role at PRA, we all have an impact on improving the quality of life for many people. Even if I’m not seeing patients directly, I’m working to advocate for my patients in finding a cure or better quality of life.

Inevitably, at times of national and healthcare emergency, nurses and other healthcare workers are publicly applauded and elevated, especially in the media. While this sentiment is touching and often heartfelt, in my opinion there is not a great deal that the general public can do practically to support them other than to strictly follow the official guidance provided by government and health advisors. Healthcare professionals are highly trained to deal with these challenging situations.

In the bigger picture, the important thing the general public can do to help people who provide care is to remember that these people aren’t just available in a pandemic. They do it all the time—every day, week in week out. Most do it not for financial gain, but because they have chosen to do something that not everyone can do.

Nursing life can be demanding, both physically and psychologically. The hours put a damper on social life and the demands are high. After a career in nursing, many look to the CRO industry as a means of consolidating and developing their skills in the drug development industry, with working conditions, hours, and remuneration that are more attractive. A good understanding of healthcare structures, anatomy and physiology, management of medicines, exceptional interpersonal skills, and large volumes of common sense mean nurses from many specialties can make very worthwhile hires. Many nurses like myself have also worked on research projects in a clinical environment, managing patients who are taking part in clinical trials of new medicines.

PRA takes a pragmatic approach in recruiting staff from the healthcare sector. We see the benefits these personnel can bring to the teams, acknowledge the needs that staff new to the industry will have, and offer comprehensive support in terms of bridging this transition. PRA provides exceptional functional management for new hires with an additional mentoring system that looks to link new staff from the healthcare sector with those who have followed a similar path previously.

I was drawn to midwifery as I wanted to help improve the experiences and outcomes for women and their babies during pregnancy and birth. I wanted to make a difference to women during this transformational time in their lives and be there to support and guide them through it, whatever the outcome.

During these challenging times it’s even more important for the general public to support nurses, midwives, and the NHS as a whole. This can be done through as simple a thing as washing your hands thoroughly and listening to the advice on self-isolation and social distancing. Being mindful of the vulnerable population who may need extra support in your local area can help communities support each other and help those in need before they may require hospitalization.

Please be respectful to others around you. If you do have to attend a GP surgery or hospital, be patient. The NHS is stretched to its greatest capacity and your understanding during this time is priceless.

Nurses and midwives don’t ask for much. We do our job because we want to care for others but patience, respect, and consideration for others would make our jobs a lot easier during this time. There is also a significant shortage of PPE within our NHS and the community teams. Any fundraising that can be done to help increase the availability is invaluable and is greatly appreciated.

I think, within patient-facing care, there comes a time when you realize that by stepping into research you can make a difference to the wider population and not just the patients you come face-to-face with on-shift.

We are always evidence-focused with our care and make sure that everything we do has research to support it. Therefore, I think it is natural progression to want to work within the source of practice and help improve patient care from the center through research.

PRA recognizes the skills nurses and midwives have and are fantastic in facilitating the transition from NHS to commercial research through their Bridge Program. I have always felt part of a team at PRA and incredibly supported by my colleagues, I have no doubt that these are just a few of the reasons why nurses and midwives seek to work at PRA.

Actually, I wanted to become a midwife, but when I studied (I was born and raised in Sweden), in order to be a midwife, you had to study nursing, then work for 2 years as a nurse and complete additional studies to become a midwife. I worked as a nurse for almost 5 years in an infectious disease department and loved the work so much that I stopped thinking about being a midwife. I learned so many things every day that I could not imagine myself doing something else!

Respect their work and knowledge, understand that they chose this line of work because they want to help people. Praise them! Let them know that we are grateful they exist!

I think that after some years as a nurse you could easily be burned out, as it is a difficult job. Working as a CRA, you get to be part of a big global team that are working on developing drugs that can save lives. You are part of saving lives but in a different way. It feels good inside when you know you have contributed to launching something that can save and improve people’s lives. It’s a job with a meaning, even if sometimes it doesn’t feel like it!

I started working as a CRA in a Greek CRO and in 2006, a friend of mine informed me that PRA was searching for freelancers. I thought I should give it a shot, so I applied and got the job as the first PRA CRA in Greece. I worked as a homebased freelancer (exclusively for PRA) for around 5 years and then I became a home-based employee, which I haven’t regretted!

As I touched on lightly as to why I was drawn to nursing, I quickly knew that I could be an oncology nurse. I could care for a patient or family and go home and do it all over again the next day. Maybe because I knew they needed somebody like me. Somebody that wouldn’t let how I felt affect how I cared for them.

Patients and families, whether in primary care or an oncology clinic, want to know that you will do that right thing for their child. Even if you don’t know, they expect you to acknowledge that and find the answer. I was willing to take on that responsibility. I also thoroughly enjoyed it, and still do, even though I am doing it in a different context.

There is something so uplifting and humbling about caring for patients and families at their most vulnerable, often their lowest, and being a part of their team that walks them through that journey with such faith, commitment and love for one another. Their walk often makes me feel better about all of us in the world. They are amazing teachers, and I learn so much from each of them every day.

This is an easy one! Do what frontline workers recommend. Social distance!

I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for the nurses at the bedside. Not only are they working so hard, but then to see and hear about people that continue to ignore the US guidelines—it’s the pits! But we do it to keep the healthcare workers safe. We do it for them. Please don’t pretend you know more than the experts.

My two adult daughters are graduating soon, both in nursing. I’ve always told them that the field of nursing is great for many reasons, but one of the best is that it allows you many different paths and options over your career.

I tell them to always be open to opportunities and challenges, because you don’t know where it can lead you. As I evaluated my career and where I was, I knew it could be a good time to consider a change. What drew me to PRA was that fact that my career change was based on and capitalized on my years of experience as nurse, especially in the area of hematology/oncology and clinical trials. For that I’m grateful to know that I can still continue to fight for my first nursing passion, pediatric hematology/oncology.