Petra Vukmirovic fighting COVID-19 on the frontline

Petra Vukmirovic  fighting COVID-19 on the frontline.

I have been playing volleyball since I was 10 y old, in Croatia. It has been something that gave me strength throughout my life, something to always fall back onto and a perfect way to stay fit and socialise. I started playing the NVL Division 2 then 1 in England when I moved here in 2015.

 I also play and compete in beach volleyball in the UKBT and this year I played BUCS for University of East London while doing my MSc.

I qualified in Croatia and started my Emergency Medicine specialty training in the UK. Life in the NHS before COVID-19 was also very,very stressful with long shift work, every other weekend and at least 4 nights per month.

Every winter the hospital beds are full, there is a chronic lack of doctors, nurses and space in A&E. The managers are not that supportive and as a junior doctor you are stretched to the maximum.

To be honest in regards to being overworked, tired, and stressed I have seen worse than now during the last few winters. And no-one will clap for you then, no-one will pat you on the back. COVID-19 brought in a different toll on us healthcare workers- the numbers of patients less than normal wintertime but they are all very sick and they deteriorate rapidly. This virus is nothing like I have seen before.

Therefore, even though the number is reduced the ones there need more of our attention. Lately things have calmed down a bit, but a few weeks ago our whole medical practice was based around COVID-19. As the virus is so dangerous, we did not want to miss it. It was stressful as we still had to be careful not to proclaim something COVID while it was actually something else like pulmonary embolism. However, we also wanted to make sure that we capture all the patients with COVID and ask them to self isolate. We all have learned a lot about it in these last few months and now are much more confident around it.

The hardest part was watching young people get really sick and their loved ones could not be there to hold their hand. I had to tell a 40y man he will be put to sleep, intubated and ventilated within a few hours. His face filled up with fear while at the same time I had to tell his wife to leave. They were sick, scared, struggling to breathe and far from their loved ones. It was heartbreaking to see vulnerable elderly people get ill too, as they were at high risk of death within a few days. What kept me going is exercise, yoga, talking to friends and family.

Also, my enthusiasm for my new job in IT was pushing me through the hard times.

When this is all over I am looking forward to playing volleyball and socialising more with my friends. I also want to go out to a club and dance all night!