Welcome to the latest newsletter from Nurse & Midwife Support: Edition 22 — Post-traumatic stress in nursing and midwifery. In this edition we're talking about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related mental health issues.
PTSD has been a long-standing issue in nursing and midwifery, but rates have skyrocketed since the beginning of the pandemic. A workforce survey of 2300 NSW nurses by the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre showed that 15% of respondents experienced post-traumatic stress at a clinical level.
Occupational post-traumatic stress can be isolating. Maybe you didn’t experience the trauma alone, but everyone around you appears to be getting along fine. By contrast, you are edgy, anxious, having nightmares. You’re filled with dread even in your safe and trustworthy spaces. Maybe you lecture yourself with negative self-talk. You chastise yourself for your lack of resilience. You keep going to work in an attempt to get better, but you don’t.
This is the time to get help. You might not think that what you’re experiencing rises to the level of PTSD. It doesn’t have to — you deserve support for all degrees of post-traumatic stress.
You can call Nurse & Midwife Support 24/7 on 1800 667 877. Our team of nurses and midwives are here to offer brief intervention telephone counselling and if necessary help to identify possible referral pathways to help you navigate your recovery.
It’s important that you know that while you may feel like you’re the only one going through this, you’re far from it. Many other healthcare workers are struggling with or have recovered from post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues. Back in February 2022, registered nurse Geoff* shared his story with us. We urge you to read it if you’re feeling alone with your struggles: Not the Only Canary in the COVID-19 Coal Mine: A nurse’s story of post-traumatic stress disorder. You can also check out this webinar with clinical psychologist Dr Rob Gordon on Managing our stress response and understanding trauma through COVID-19.
PTSD and other trauma-related illnesses are a collective problem for our workforce and it’s imperative that we approach solutions collectively.