HCAs - The Underrated Backbone of Nursing
I'm Nushy, I’m in my final year of my Biomed degree and currently working as a HCA and COVID Vaccinator.
Working as an HCA for the last 8 months, battling against the pandemic on the frontline has been the BEST work and life experience. Working so intimately on the wards has changed my perspective of life, humbled me whilst caring for patients fighting for their survival and reminded me about what truly matters - our health before everything.
What I want to share and what I want people to know is how lesser known and underappreciated this role is, despite being (in my opinion) the backbone of Nursing and patient-centred care. This role is so much more than being “lesser” than a qualified Nurse or being “support staff”.
To all my HCAs who don’t get enough credit for the hard work that we do, this is for you.
HCAs are the first point of contact for patients - no, not the Nurses and no, not the Doctors (contrary to popular belief - not to say they don't play a fundamental role). HCAs are a patient's ride or die.
When the bell starts ringing (and 20 bells are ringing at once) - whether it’s a cardiac arrest or a cup of tea, HCAs are ready to deliver.
When patients want to rant about staff not being pleasant, scans getting delayed and they've not eaten all day, we are there to listen.
When it's time to go home and someone needs to carry the patient's bags because they're too weak to carry their own, we are ready to escort you to the door.
When the Nurses are running late, the Doctors never came and patients are mad, we bear the sudden brunt of it.
When patients feel like vomiting, we are ready to hold a sick bowl to the chin and pretend it doesn't smell.
When a patient feels isolated and needs to have a cry, we are there with tissues and a hand to hold.
When patients feel nobody cares about them, we tell them they do.
On paper, the role of an HCA is very brief and basic. It doesn’t necessarily acknowledge the efforts that go into building the strong rapport we nurture with patients or the physical effort that goes into being there for them all the time. The labour and heart that goes into caring for our patients isn’t justified by our poor salary, the condescending Nursing hierarchy (where HCAs are near the bottom) or the foot pain after long hours.
So if you’re a HCA, you are the real champions fuelling a patient’s comfort and care in hospital. And if nobody else hasn't said it to you already - a MASSIVE THANK YOU for everything that you do.
