Working at Christmas :(
As December approaches, I automatically begin thinking ahead about the next few weeks – the excitement of putting up the decorations and tree at home, undertaking all of our family traditions, the organising of buying the groceries for the Christmas dinner and the inevitable fights between myself and my boyfriend’s mother as to who will cook the dinner on the actual day for the family (!), the delight of getting to open gifts on Christmas morning and loving what you got…….it’s a wonderful time of year and one of my favourites!
But, despite all of the lovely thoughts, it is very hard not to think about those people who do not get to spend Christmas with their families due to work commitments, eg, Nurses, Doctors, Firemen and Ambulance Crew, amongst others. These professionals sacrifice the most important days over the festive season to care for other people when the rest of us are spending time with our families and loved ones. Certainly some of them may not have chosen to work the shifts they are assigned to, but all of them will do everything they possibly can to make the time more bearable for those in their care, which deserves the utmost respect.
I also sympathise with those who have to spend Christmas and New Year in Hospital – can you imagine lying in a hospital bed, and only getting to see your family members for 1-2 hours that day, when you should be at home in the middle of all of the celebrations?These patients would be lucky to be sharing a room, rather than being in a private room, with only the visiting Nurses and Doctors for company. The guilt must also overcome a patients’ family member, when they have to leave their relative behind and go home to have a big dinner, indulge in playing board games or watching a film with their family, how awful this must be.
So, whether you are a Nurse, Doctor, Healthcare Professional or anyone else who has to work over the Christmas and New Year period, I salute you.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Annmarie Gallacher, Nursing Team Lead, Cpl Healthcare
T: +353 1 4825354
