Theme One: Safeness of the Family

Figure 3. Safeness of

the family (SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA) ER1

According to the statement of the participant, SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA test provides safety to her and to

her family. This negative result provides security and protection that she can go home to her family and

she is not a carrier of the virus.

“This negative result provides me safety and security that I am not a carrier of the virus,

and at the same time, it also provides safety for my family and also a passes that I can still go

home and be with my family despite being an ER nurse who attends to different kind of patients”

ER1
 “This picture will provide opportunities by voicing that every front liner should be tested for

which we can provide holistic and better care for our patients. And at the same time, it will give

us frontliners inner peace that we don’t have in our system the COVID-19 RNA.” ER1.

SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA

ER1 also mention that every frontline should be tested to give inner peace that they are not a carrier of

the virus. Because we all know that even if they are wearing complete Personal Protective equipment

handling and dealing with different patient they did not know who is positive or not. They did not know

if they obtain a virus or not. In addition, it also become a challenge to our nurse’s in the midst of

pandemic that they are scared and worried about their families and children that they might get

exposed them to the virus.

In the paper of [ CITATION Emm20 \l 13321 ] Hospitals, like most workplaces, have a say in what their

employees do on the job, but less of one when it comes to what they do once they leave. But in the case

of Covid-19, what health care workers do during their shifts impacts the people they interact with when

they're done.

The American Hospital Association’s director of quality policy. According to [ CITATION Dan20 \l 13321 ],

division chief of pediatric infectious disease at Seattle Children’s Hospital, management has also been

reinforcing that health care workers should be monitoring their health closely and getting tested for

coronavirus. Still, the smallness of these measures in contrast with the enormity of the problem has left

some workers anxious, especially since Covid-19 tests and personal protective equipment aren’t always

available.
Employers are not entirely at fault for the stress that health care workers are undergoing, and the risks

they are bringing home to their families. “The most important thing we can do to keep providers and

their families safe is doing everything we can to give workers the supplies and PPE they need to protect

themselves,” says Demehin. “Wider availability of rapid testing and increased PPE are both necessary for

keeping our health care workers and their families safe.” Hospitals can’t materialize those supplies on

their own—they need cooperation from manufacturers and, most importantly, from state and federal

governments. That has been hard to come by. As hospitals struggle to get their staffs what they need,

the lack of Covid-19 testing and protective equipment doesn’t just put health care providers at risk—it

imperils their entire communities.

Participants ER8 described figure 4 as “This is home. A place where me and my family live with peace,

joy and love. A place where you feel that you are well-secured and safe. .” ER8.
 Figure 4. Safeness of the Family (HOME) ER8

“There’s no place like

home. I took this photo because this is the only place that I want to stay at. This place has to be

the safest place but because of me, coming here after my duty made me realize that this place

might be the most dangerous place for my whole family”ER8

He also stated that:

“By this photo, future readers might realize that becoming a nurse during this time isn’t

easy. Even though COVID19 get over soon, future readers would realize how a nurse like me

struggled during the pandemic especially knowing that I am also risking the safety of my

family”.ER8
HOME

Based on the statement of the participants “there’s no place like home” He’s also stated that home is

the place where his family feels safe and secured. But, when this pandemic started he realized that

going home will be dangerous to his whole family because maybe he is a carrier of the virus.

This is another challenges to our nurses. There are lot of changes in the family, community and

workplace due to pandemic, because of their responsibilities as a nurse doing their job became risky to

the nurses itself and to their family. There are circumstances that nurses choose not to go home for the

safety of their family.

According to the report by [ CITATION Ben20 \l 13321 ] This new homework is as stressful as it is

tedious. A misstep could mean spreading a coronavirus infection to a loved one. “Even with 30 to 45

minutes of prep, coming back home and doing all this, I still am worried I screwed it up in some way,”

said Sun, who shares an apartment with his mother, who has Parkinson’s disease.

Across the country, exhausted health-care workers have changed the rhythms of their daily lives —

sleeping away from their families and performing meticulous cleansing rituals — to protect family

members and roommates and keep the pathogen contained behind hospital doors.

Some avoid going home altogether because they live with elderly or immunity-compromised relatives.

About 200 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel are staying at the Four Seasons Hotel New York,

for instance, which has pared down its thousand-dollar-a-night rooms to function as a medical dorm,

said a spokesman. Hotel staffers check the temperature of each clinician entering the hotel. Instead of

dining on room service, guests take boxed meals to their rooms. Bathrobes, extra pillows and throw

blankets were removed to reduce the number of items that could be touched.
Theme Two: LOW MORALE

Figure 1. Low morale (six

fingers)

ER4 Describes the Figure1 as Nurses in the photo raising six (6) fingers to show the number of

days they are working. She added “Despite the years of experience I’ve earned or the degree I

have, we are still striving having a same difficulty with novice nurses. This picture proves that

we are the hired to face the current pandemic we are all in today in the short term”

ER4 also said “it allows me to talk of how I truly feel about being a frontline in this pandemic

knowing that we are hired for a short term and work for long hours” ER4

Six Fingers
Based on the statement of the participants “they are just hired temporarily” Participants also

described long hour of works. As one of the challenges of the nurses on the midst of pandemic

they are bearing the burnt as they put in long hours and consecutive shifts to help patients. taken

for granted and work overload has shown to have effect on the nurses in terms of giving quality

care to the patients and less eager to give her best because she knows she is only being hired in

short term and tired for long hours of work.

On the article by [ CITATION Bro20 \l 13321 ] The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health

Administration (OSHA) describes a normal work shift as “a work period of no more than 8

consecutive hours during the day, 5 days a week with at least an 8-hour rest.” Nurses whose

work environment demands 12-hour shifts are working what OSHA describes as an extended or

unusual shift that “incorporates more continuous hours, requires more consecutive days of work,

or requires work during the evening.” These shifts may be more mentally, physically, and

emotionally taxing to employees, leading to increased fatigue, stress, and lack of concentration,

which in turn may result in a heightened risk of error, injuries, and accidents. To put this into

perspective, Petrov and colleagues equated the traditional night-shift schedule of two or three

sequential 12-hour shifts from 7 pm to 7 am followed by 2 to 5 days off to the jet lag experienced

when flying roundtrip from San Francisco to Tokyo every few days.

What does this mean for nurses required to work 12-hour shifts? A study conducted by Rogers

and colleagues concluded that work duration, overtime, and the number of hours worked per

week significantly impact errors made by nursing staff. The authors made a bold statement:

“Routine use of 12-hour shifts should be curtailed and overtime, especially that associated with
12-hour shifts, should be eliminated.” A systematic review by Di Muzio and colleagues

concluded that adverse event frequency increases when nurses work on an inadequately staffed

unit and then work more than 12 hours in a shift and more than 40 hours in a week. They also

found that nurses who work night or rotating shifts, compared to their peers who work day or

evening shifts, struggle to stay awake and are twice as likely to make a mistake. Despite this

evidence, most nurses who provide direct patient care continue to work 12-hour shifts and

experience fatigue.

Figure2. Low morale

(Personal Protective

Equipment’s)

ER2 described Figure 2 as:

“they feel not appreciated because of the low quality of personal protective equipment being

provided to them” ER2

She added “it can serve as a voice to the government to provide high quality personal protective

equipment and other protective equipment so each and every frontline can serve and perform

properly without any hesitation in acquiring the virus” ER2

Personal Protective Equipment’s

According to the statement of the participants because of the low quality of personal protective

equipment there are hesitation of rendering the good quality of care to the patient because they

are also afraid to contracting the virus while taking care for the patients. Personal Protective

Equipment’s is very essential for protecting our Healthcare workers in battling on COVID-19 but

with the low quality of personal protective equipment they are worried on acquiring the virus.

On the news reported by [ CITATION Iff20 \l 13321 ] Four of their fraternity testing positive at the

Victoria Hospital, the nurses have complained to the hospital authorities about the poor quality

of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and even went up to Medical Education Minister Dr

K Sudhakar in this regard. So far there have been 13 positive cases of frontline workers at

Victoria which include doctors, nurses, group D staff and lab technicians.

Among the 13 positives, four were nurses. Speaking to TNIE, a nurse said, “We are the frontline

workers and need to be provided with good PPE kits. The ones provided were damaged. We

believe that this could be the reason for the positive cases. Ideally, the inorganic or organic fluids

should not enter the PPE. But this was not the case with the kits we were provided. That is why

we decided to raise our voice and even spoke to minister Sudhakar about it.”
Low morale

Low morale has become a challenges to the nurses in this current situation and also has

negative impact to them. A nurse dissatisfaction of the current situation by being neglected by

the government in terms of the support delivery and it is no secret that nurses work long and

strenuous hours. Because of this factors nurses can possibly increase risk of errors and not

rendering better care to the patients. Due to the nature of work and low quality of personal

protective equipment the safety of the nurses become secondary in this midst of pandemic.

According to (Roberts et al., 2007) This caused panic and fear among HSCFWs as they could not

envisage the extent COVID-19 pandemic was going to cause. It also brought a feeling of

uncertainty among them leading to low morale and coordination in the workplace (Aronson &

Smith, 2011). In light of the above assertions, it is important that health and social care

workplaces have viable pandemic control and management policies to protect both workers and

individuals they look after,

According to [ CITATION Hug20 \l 13321 ], The ethical dilemma facing them was that not going on

strike would compromise patient safety due to workforce shortages and low morale. There were

reports in the media of nurses crying, not because of the care that they were giving, but because

of the care that they were not able to give.

It is clear that in order to be successful, healthcare facilities must continue to focus on keeping

morale high. Human resource departments should work directly with nurse leads and even risk

management consultants to identify issues as they arise and remedy potentially negative

situations by implementing the correct processes for positive change. In the end, taking the time
to develop and enact morale-boosting strategies will create a more productive, healthier and safer

environment – for both nurses and their patients.[ CITATION Bet17 \l 13321 ]

Theme Three: SITUATIONAL OPTIMISM

Figure 9. Sunrise

ER3 took a photo of sunrise (figure 9) after saying, that “as a frontliner having a rough duty

does not mean that you should give up.” That the sunrise always reminds us to “take a break,

breathe and then fight again.” She also added that the photo should encourage everyone. That

there is always another day to face another battle. That during this pandemic, countless of us

want to give up.” But ER3 always remembers that “here is another beautiful day ahead to fight

again.
Sunrise

As a more frontline battling every single day in this time of the pandemic, ER3 remains

encouraging towards the situation we are in today. She took the photo of sunrise after having her

12-hour duty emphasizing that it is a sign of another day to live. That “every single day is a

blessing to every one of us.” The sunrise made her thought that it is a symbol of hope for the

pandemic to end. As we face this challenge with COVID-19, countless indeed want to give up.

But ER3 found optimism in this sunrise that every one of us should try to be.

Based on the literature, optimism was found to be helpful both in daily medical work and in

cases of medical emergencies. Optimism was also revealed one of the key components of

resilience and self-efficacy. Therefore, it is recommended to consider strengthening the optimism

through initiative programs. Obtaining optimism can be included in toolkit preparedness for

health care workers in order to confront the complications in the aftermath of disaster. These

programs, together with appropriate information, social support, professional trust, and leaders

modeling behavior, will raise the well-being and enhance coping skills of the health care workers

during and aftermath of disaster scenarios.

 Figure 10. (Break)

Photo in figure10 was submitted by ER5 telling us that after transferring all admissions around

the hospital like the operating room, labor room and ICU, “my body couldn’t help but get

drained.”

She stated that people expect them to do everything. “In this of pandemic, you are not allowed

to complain nor take a break because it is your job.” However, ER5 stresses that her profession

of being a nurse in this pandemic “makes our physical body tired but it doesn’t mean giving up.”

She just “needed a break” so that she can “be more efficient and give more quality care to my

patients.”

Break

Based on the statement of ER5, she lays emphasis on the word “break” as it is the one she

needed the most. “It’s ok to take a rest.” That “It’s not always other people you should

prioritize.”

As for her, her profession is a challenge to her physical body. She gets worn-out by the number

of patients they receive each duty. Despite all that, a little break would mean excessive power for

her.
“Although the healthcare providers carried on with their duty, they undergo lot of physical and

emotional stress more than other people.”

“They took this pandemic as a challenge. They wanted to give out their best possible care to the

patients.”

In certain days, frontline workers were burnt out, when the cases went high. They had to deal

with many patients at a single stretch. The healthcare providers felt guilty when they remained

helpless. They expressed grief and strong sense of powerlessness about patients suffering and

sudden loss of lives.

Figure 11. Positive

ER1 chose this photo of her swab test that tested positive. She took it for her to remember that

“Wearing PPE’s on our duties, handling COVID patients.., It does not guarantee that we will not

be infected with the virus.” She also added that having a positive result “does not mean that I

will lose heart with my duties as a nurse.”

The photo “will serve as a voice” to people as well as the government that they are at risk of

acquiring COVID-19.

Positive

Doing the standard precaution such as wearing face masks, face shields, and even personal

protective equipment did not exclude ER1 from getting the virus COVID-19. She intensifies that

the photo of her swab result would awaken the government and her hospital administration to

care for them more.

However, being tested positive for the virus was already a challenge for ER1. Although she said

that she will not lose heart of her duties as a nurse, she was still hopeful with the desire that they

will get recognize by the government.

The organizations in which the staffs are employed play a keen role. Necessary and supportive things

have to be provided for healthcare professionals working in Covid ward. It is seen that to a large extent,

all staff face distress but do not seek professional support. Therefore, constant monitoring of their mental

health has to be taken, rapid access to counselling should also be provided. Reinforcement should be

given as it can increase willingness to work. Safe travelling to and from work also should be provided

which can reduce anxiety. Measures such as rest facilities, providing food, drinks, regular

acknowledgements, a dialogue of suggestions and ideas from state, formal and informal psychological

support during the pandemic can improve the healthcare workers willingness to work.
Following the death of one of their own, health workers stood united in a rally outside the JRRMMC

on Monday. They wanted to amplify calls to bring justice to Suerte and all those who died because of

the “negligence and failure” of the DOH and the Duterte government in handling the coronavirus

outbreak.

“Hindi kami prayoridad ng gobyerno. Kaya nakakalungkot, kasi kada pasok namin sa trabaho, isang

paa namin nasa hukay na. Pagod na pagod na kami,” Donguines said.

(We are not the government’s priority. It is very sad, because every time we go to work, it’s like one

foot is already in the grave. We are so tired.)

Figure 10. Worn Out

ER6 describes his photo as “a person who is tired after rendering an eight-hour service for our

country.” He chose this one for us “to realize that even though we are being considered heroes

today, we are only human” that need a rest.

He also states that being a frontliner “taught me the reality of life” which he chose to be. That

they need a rest for “we can able to fight for our fellow countrymen.”

Worn Out

They are being considered “heroes” today because of the pandemic. However, as ER6 said “we

are only human and need to protect ourselves too.” He considers this as an opportunity to voice

out the demand for a break in this pandemic because every break is considered a preparation.This

pandemic is an immense challenge to all of us, not only frontliners. Hence, this challenge taught

ER6 “the reality of life.” And reflects on strengthening the “promise I need to live up to.

A number of front-liners demur, saying: “We are just doing our jobs, we are not heroes.”
But to COVID-19 survivors they are heroes, God-sent angels in protective suits.

Situational Optimism

Optimism is a general tendency to regard the world as a positive place accepting challenges.

Optimism improves the level of functioning, patient’s satisfaction and thus the results. Due to the

increased risk of exposure to virus, our frontline healthcare workers fear feeling of uncertainty

and threat to life, symptoms of anxiety and psychological distress. Optimism heavily influences

physical and mental health, as well as coping with everyday social and working life. Worker’s

feel less pressure, focus on practical problem solutions, and seek social support.

Researchers have proven that optimism has the power to improve morbidity outcomes and

enhanced performance during crisis. According to Seligman (2008), “optimism is the way we

explain events and outcome to ourselves and it is a learnable approach to life and an invaluable

motivator”
Gaining the skill of optimism can assist in confronting stress or set back, can help to overcome

failure in particular event and strengthen self-efficacy and resilience. This will increase the

Health Care Worker’s overall sense of wellbeing, helping them to be more beneficial to their

society. One research focusing on optimism was conducted by Prateepko et al. It showed that

staffs who were considered to be optimistic felt the threat to be of less severity and less

vulnerability from possible impact of the pandemic.

Positive emotions such as optimism, life satisfaction and tranquility, are active elements of

resilience, and they were found in the aftermath of crises, such as the 9/11 trauma, as a buffer

improving the resilience of people against depression (19). These findings were supported by a

study, which demonstrated that positive feelings, such as optimism, resilience, spiritual and

social support might predict the behavioral responses to an avian flu outbreak. It also found that

optimism is a personal characteristic, which is connected to a willingness to strive for a solution

to a problem (20).

Theme Four: PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENT

ER2 describes the figure 1 as she is one of the triage team; fortunately it is a non-toxic duty. She

said that “Even there’s no patient, we need to be careful and we should wear personal protective

equipment, knowing that we are going to attend any patient that may be a Covid-19 positive.”

She also added that the photo reminded her to keep calm and just do her responsibilities because

she’s a nurse, and the patients need her help even she is not comfortable wearing PPE’s for the

rest of her duty.

On the other hand, she alleged said that “It is a stepping stone in my life that a frontline like me

may look brave in front of other people who look protected and safe but deep inside this frontline

is scared of making mistakes and acquiring a COVID RNA strain.”

ER Soldier

Based on the testimony of the participant, even they are facing a lot of challenges, regardless of

wearing uncomfortable sets of PPE’s and still, she is doing her best to do her calling and

responsibilities. Moreover, she continuously assured that, she is attentive and focused on her

duty to render the optimum quality care she can provide to the patient as well as to herself, so she

will not contract the virus.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19, In order to protect themselves, the nurses knew they should

wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including goggles, N95 mask and protective suits

when they were caring patients. However, working with and in these equipment for a long time

is exhausting, for example, when wearing a N95 mask nurses needed to speaking loudly to make

sure patients could hear. Some of the nurses’ skins and facial features were temporarily

disfigured because of wearing N95 masks for a long time. They wore diapers and tried their best

to have less food and water while working in order to save PPE supplies. Many nurses cut their

long hair and even shaved their heads to reduce the risk of contamination between patients and

between themselves and the patient.

Figure 6. Genuine Heroes

ER 6 Define the image that they are showing respect to our nation, and country. He said that

“Being on the frontline is indeed heroic, but then, it's part of our profession to do what's beyond

our credibility as a nurse, and it’s a rare moment to take look back when pandemics arise and we

stand up like a brave warrior to fight for the virus that affects our health and country.”

He also adds that he took the photo to have an evocation that once he’s been part of the

pandemic crisis in our country and it is indeed a great privilege for him to do what is beyond on

his oath.

In addition to that, he describes that the photo will show braveness in spite of the pandemic crisis

and that it will encourage his colleagues to stand and fight for this crisis.

Genuine Heroes

Based on the said statement, it is full of encouragement for his Co health workers to fight against

the crisis we are facing. He also considered his duty as an enormous profession and

responsibility to fulfil. The modern heroes are still showing humbleness despite of challenges

and saving so many lives. He’s brave enough still look for the affirmative side of the situation we

are facing.

The significant spread of Covid-19 around the globe has affected people of all nations, races, and

socio-economic groups. Moreover, the severity of the disease’s symptoms have dramatically

increased and challenged the duties of healthcare providers for protecting the health of their co-

citizens.
Most nurses do not believe they have the right to refuse to treat certain patients during the

COVID-19 outbreak. In correlation with their strong commitment to care for patients during this

time, the participants did not agree with ideas such as not embarking on the nursing profession

after graduation (i.e. nursing interns), changing to a different position within the nursing

profession, or increased burnout, as a result of the stress associated with their providing

healthcare during the pandemic. While provision of care at this time is highly stressful and is

accompanied with personal risk, they do not regret choosing nursing as their profession. They

seem highly motivated and are mostly influenced by their obligation to treat patients, and,

interestingly, also by their obligation to provide the Israeli society with help. These findings are

in line with previous research on the willingness of Israeli nurses’ to work in times of

emergencies.

While experiencing significant personal risk and emotional burden, nurses conveyed strong

dedication to providing care, and did not regret working in the nursing profession, yet they did

seek a supportive climate for their needs and ethical concerns.

Figure 7. Cart of gold

ER 7 Show a photo of an emergency cart. The participant said that “I took photo because as an

ER nurse, emergency cart should be complete so that when we have an emergency patient the

medication and other equipment is ready so, when we attend to that kind of patient we don’t need

to go anywhere just to get equipment.

The participant also added “This picture is telling us nurses that like an e cart we should be

prepared to cater different kinds of patients whether its positive negative or regular patients like

this medications we should be strong and careful so that the patients and ourselves are not at risk

during rendering nursing care for ill patients.”

ER 7 also said that just like this picture we should be ready and complete in terms of medication

and equipment upon attending patients and possible patients.

Cart of gold

Based on the data above, being one of the front-liner is precisely challenging what more when

you’re working in the emergency department. They should be ready and equipped when

attending any case whether covid19 positive patient. Also, armed nurse is necessary so that they

can deliver the immediately the need of the patient.

This year has been a roller coaster ride for emergency departments across our country and

internationally. As we reflect on what 2020 has been, most of us think about the global pandemic

of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, many emergency departments have faced

additional disasters both before COVID-19 and also while dealing with COVID-19.

Whatever emergency arises, you will find emergency nurses there taking on the challenge. This

year, emergency departments have responded to disasters that have ranged from wildfires,

earthquakes, and volcanoes to tornadoes and floods, to name just a few. We have always known

that the world can change in a second in the emergency department and that we must be prepared

for the unexpected. However, 2020 has certainly made this more apparent.

When we talk about disasters, we talk about the lifecycle of a disaster, which includes 4

categories: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The mitigation phase of a disaster

is the phase in which we attempt to minimize the exposure/impact of the event. Preparedness is

when we plan for the event from a training perspective and gather the list of supplies that we will

need during the event. Response is the phase when the disaster has hit, and our normal operations

have stopped. Recovery is the last of the 4 phases and is when we resume our “normal”

operations. The cycle however is a circle, and so it continues, and we go right back to the first

step of mitigation again.

As I reflect on 2020 and what we have faced from a disaster perspective, I believe we all have

gone through or are in the process of going through all 4 phases. Hospitals that receive

government funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services must have certain

emergency preparedness requirements in place to include 4 key areas: risk assessment,

communication plan, policies and procedures, and training and testing.1 , 2 These requirements

are necessary for addressing the mitigation and preparedness phase. Whatever the volume of
COVID-19 cases has been in our area, we all have had training on our new protocol(s) with

isolation, what equipment we are using for personal protection equipment, and how/where we

will be treating patients.

This year was designated to be the Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health

Organization and is also the 50th Anniversary of the Emergency Nurses Association. This year,

we knew, was to be a big year for our celebrating; what we could not have envisioned was how

the role of the nurse would be displayed this year to the public, and how the public would get a

glimpse into what we face. As emergency nurses, we are always ready to answer the call from

the communities in which we serve. I challenge us all to ensure that we are not forgetting about

the mental health and well-being of our colleagues and ourselves as we face these unprecedented

times. We must also not forget that the cycle of disaster continues, so we must continue to strive

to be prepared and to face the next challenge that will present itself to us. I am confident that as

emergency nurses we will be ready to respond.

Figure 8. Nurse Vows

ER 7 described the photo as an Oath taking program. She stated that it is the day wherein the

licensed nurses take their oath of the profession.

She also specified “That day we promised to do our profession in any situation, time, and day.

And This photo reminds me of what oath I made that day, that in any situation, we, front liners,

have duties and responsibilities to render care to those patients in need even if there is a

pandemic.”

In addition to that, she said the image should motivate the future nurses to stand by their oath and

do their duties and responsibilities because being a nurse knows that there are no boundaries in

any situation, especially during this pandemic.

Nurse Vow

Based on the said testimonial, as a registered nurse they should take any risk even it is very

challenging because they took the oath of the profession. They should do their calling as well as

their duty to take care and to deliver quality care to the patient even it is not pandemic.

Nurses and midwives play a key role in caring for people everywhere, including in times of

outbreaks and settings that are fragile or in conflict. During the COVID-19 outbreak, nurses,

midwives and all health workers have been in the frontlines of the response. They also continue

to support vital health programmes in the Philippines.

“I cannot fathom the emotions that I feel especially in handling COVID-19 patients. They are in

psychological distress because they are not allowed to have watchers or significant others to visit
them to prevent infection. So, you are not just dealing with an unseen enemy, but you need to be

a patient advocate and supporter. It is my duty as a nurse to respond to our calling. Our oath is to

care for the sick and devote ourselves to the welfare of those committed to our care. Despite

what is happening to our world nowadays God is in control all this pandemic shall disappear

sooner or later.”

PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENT

Commitment to a profession requires doing the best for that profession. In the case of the nursing

profession, professional commitment gains greater importance in times of crisis, like the

COVID‐19 pandemic.

All healthcare professionals, especially nurses, have been seriously affected by the

pandemic. During this period, healthcare professionals have encountered heavier

workloads, longer working hours, a more stressful working environment, and insufficient

medical and protective materials (de Pablo et al., 2020; Jun et al., 2020). Healthcare

professions working in hospitals where individuals infected with Covid-19 are admitted

and providing care to those individuals increase their risk of infection (Moazzami et al.,

2020)

Nursing is a profession that requires a high-level of professional commitment, as well as

commitment to life-long learning. The future of nursing will be determined by nurses who are

committed to the profession. Nurses must demonstrate strong professional commitment in order

to defend patients’ rights and to perform their job in the best way (Gauthier, 2011). The

qualitative study by Kalateh et al. (2020) on the experience of nurses during the Covid-19
pandemic included the comments of nurses who fulfilled their duty despite the heavy working

conditions and many risks. One of the nurses commented, “Look, if I don't want to come, who

will come? Who will care for people? These are our citizens. We have a professional

commitment and responsibility”; showing that professional commitment is one of the main

factors affecting nurses’ jobs during the pandemic (Kalateh et al., 2021).