The pandemic has been quite the experience for all of us but there is something extraordinarily unique about the experience from the perspective of a frontline worker.
Jackie Blaise who has worked with Supreme Ambulance Care Limited since 2012, has been able to experience working in healthcare both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the topic of the biggest changes in healthcare since the pandemic, Blaise comments that “overall, the PPE practices, that's what is the most important change to what we’re doing.”
The new “normal” is what we’re all used to hearing now with all of the COVID related regulations and practices, and it seems that the same goes for healthcare.
“I think as a whole, we learned where things were maybe lacking or, where we could have been a little more diligent. So I think in some ways things won’t go back to the way they were because we’ve grown. This has definitely been a year of growth.”
Change, though, is not something to be feared here. The changes society has faced this past year have made society more well-rounded and have given people a better understanding of things as simple as hygiene and human interaction. Moving forward in our lives, it is apparent that things are only set to improve within society as the pain and discomfort people have collectively experienced as a society has brought us together.
“We have a really great group of individuals working for Supreme right now and everybody has such great attitudes. I can’t say any more good things about them, like I am just so proud of them and how they buckled down and did what they needed to do.”
The healthcare sector changed so much in so many ways in such a short amount of time that it was overwhelming trying to keep up with new regulations and new procedures that had to be followed. There was certainly no time to fall behind even though it might have been expected considering everyone has just been trying their best to acclimate to life in a pandemic.
“In the beginning of 2020, where everything kind of started, there were constant changes and I feel like that was one of the tougher things for the frontline workers. Just staying on top of the constant changes,” said Blaise.
It’s been a stressful and tiring year for frontline workers indeed but not all the strain was felt physically.
“The health region did a fantastic job of getting mental health courses out there and mental health support. We were provided with a mental health centre if we needed to and it was just really fantastic,” says Blaise.
This past year has been one of growth, pain, and even loss for some. Regulations may have seemed to be pushing us all apart in the name of personal safety, but that has not been the outcome. By creating physical distance, more room has been left to create a sense of emotional closeness to one's co-workers, friends, family, and even strangers.
It’s time to not only express appreciation and gratitude for each other and for ourselves, but also for those who have been responsible for getting us safely through this time of uncertainty.
