Working During COVID: Student Volunteer Perspective

Written by: Hannah Morgan Final Year Medical Student

Hi, I’m Hannah and I was a fourth medical student when COVID-19 hit. When the University of Birmingham decided that it was unsafe for students to be attending placement, I quickly found that I became restless at home. Through a Facebook group created in conjunction with the medical school, I was able to secure a job at my local hospital in early April.

I was slightly apprehensive on my first day regarding what would be expected from me. To my relief, the staff and other students were incredibly friendly. We were informed that our safety was paramount and we were taken for a face mask fitting (or multiple if like me, the masks were a bit on the large side!) My role alongside two other students, was to assist staff on the Medical High Dependency Unit. At that moment, all patients on the unit had COVID-19. For our protection, we were unable to go onto the ward so we were placed in an attached office. My role included admin support, data collection, acting as a runner (jargon for collecting and delivering items between wards) and helping with donning and doffing (the fancy term for putting on and taking off) personal protective equipment (PPE). What struck me was how appreciative all the staff were, when our roles felt far less significant than what they were doing.

I feel privileged that I was able to see first-hand the experiences of healthcare professionals and patients. Given the challenges that the staff faced, it was incredible to see how dedicated they were. Many nurses minimised the number of breaks they were having in order to save PPE, which was in scarce supply, and to be able to assist as much as possible. Several staff members developed sores on their faces where their masks had rubbed. In addition, staff were expected to perform procedures whilst in thick layers of PPE, not only restricting their movements but also causing them to overheat. During this, near all of the time staff managed to keep high spirits. This was also helped by the many kind donations of food from the public!

Some of my favourite moments include having the pleasure of assisting patients off the ward, either to go home or when their care needs had been reduced (which was normally a positive sign). Also, the small win of finding documentation which was needed for an audit, after we had spent days looking for it. A week before I left, the Medical High Dependency Unit became a COVID-free zone as the number of cases continued to fall - this was a special moment as it showed all of us that the strict measures and lockdown had been working. It was great to be welcomed into the team and I feel so thankful that I now have many role-models from whom I will base my future practice.