Nicole O’Brien: Ballarat nurse says tradies should stop protesting

A Ballarat nurse says construction workers are selfish protesting while her colleagues hands are bleeding and staff are exhausted.

Ballarat Nurse Nicole O'Brien says she and colleagues have to give life-saving CPR on heart attack patients while wearing N95 masks, goggles on top of their own glasses, a plastic protective gown, a lead top and skirt (approx. 8kg of extra weight), multiple pairs of gloves and a plastic facial screen.

A Ballarat nurse has slammed construction workers protesting in Melbourne, saying they have no idea what health workers have sacrificed during the pandemic.

Nicole O’Brien, a nurse from a Ballarat hospital, said she was furious tradies were protesting the recent ruling that all construction workers needed to be vaccinated by September 23 in Melbourne.

She said staff had cold lunches in their cars during breaks because they had no access to microwaves because it wasn’t safe for them or their patients to eat in tearooms.

“We all have bleeding and chapped hands from the thousands of times they have sanitised, washed and re-sanitised our hands,” Mrs O’Brien said.

“We have done it to keep the community safe. We have done it to keep you safe.

“We have done it all without bloody tearooms.”

Mrs O’Brien said it was frustrating to see tradies protest while medical staff continued to work behind the scenes with little reward or regard.

“For any construction worker or tradesperson who thinks they have it tough or thinks their tearooms are too much of a sacrifice, have a chat to a healthcare worker and they will be able to show you what true sacrifice looks like,” she said.

Ballarat Nurse Nicole O'Brien says she has seen colleagues endure day shifts, afternoon shifts, night shifts, on-call shifts, double shifts, overtime and weekend work to provide care, support and treatment to the community, even though it puts them and their families at risk.

Mrs O’Brien, who posted her story to Facebook, said she had received tremendous support with the post shared more than 230 times.

“It was surprising. I was just sort of venting; and I didn’t expect so much support,” she said.

“For 18 months, I have watched the healthcare system work tirelessly, doing overtime and extra shifts, understaffed, burnt out and exhausted, without lunch breaks, in difficult conditions with difficult and abusive patients .. there is nothing appealing about working double shifts, weekends, Christmas, night shifts, overtime or being short staffed. Who signs up to go to work to get abused?”

Nicole O'Brien posted a plea on Facebook, calling for the community to do the right thing?

Mental health services have had a huge uptake during Covid, and Mrs O’Brien said nurses had not been immune.

“We have lost a lot of nurses over the past year but not as many as they will lose in the next 18 months,” she said.

“The healthcare system is struggling now. But in two years, it will be 10 times worse. Everyone I know is burnt out and tired. We all already were before the pandemic.”

Mrs O’Brien said she had seen staff crying in the corridors and changerooms, wiping their eyes before getting back to work.

“Nurses and doctors have to provide emotional support to families that have lost loved ones, even though there is no one providing support for them,” she said.

“It takes a toll on all of us, you feel like you’re not very good at your job, mistakes happen. You’re relationships outside of work suffer. People get depressed, frustrated, angry.”

Violence erupts as CFMEU secretary John Setka speaks with angry construction workers at union headquarters. Picture: David Crosling

Mrs O’Brien added the community needed to do the right thing so efforts of nurses and hospital staff were not wasted.

“I have no patience for selfish people who believe they are above the rules, and believe their own individual needs are above the need to keep the community safe,” she said.

“Seeing makeshift morgues and bodies piled on top of each other sticks with you.

“Nursing staff are rolling up their sleeves and getting their jabs, so it’s safe for them to provide the rest of the community with education and vaccinations.”