Wagga's nurses and midwives walked off the job on Tuesday demanding Premier Dominic Perrottet establish staff-to-patient ratios in NSW hospitals.
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The Wagga branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association joined thousands of nurses across the state in walking off the job despite a last-minute order from the Industrial Relations Commission to call off the strike.
The threat of a potential fine was not enough to deter nurse Sophie Bennett from going on strike.
"We want safe care for our patients and not to cry after every shift because it's so exhausting," she said.
"It's not sustainable at the moment ... it's just too hard."
Gabrielle Barlow has been a midwife for three years, two of which she has spent at Wagga Base Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said staff shortages have made her reconsider her career.
"I definitely have felt like leaving," she said. "You come to your shift every day to do your job and look after women ... and you just don't feel like you can do it safely."
It is not just the maternity unit where hospital staff are feeling the pressure.
Six out of ten NSW intensive care nurses said they have no intention of continuing their careers once the Omicron outbreak subsides, according to a survey of members by the NSWNMA.
Michelle Haworth, an ICU nurse at Wagga Base Hospital, said senior experienced staff were retiring early or leaving the health district altogether.
"If you come to a hospital, do you want someone looking after you who is skilled, trained, or do you want someone who's new to the job?" She said, "And do you want that person who's new to the job supported well by a senior nurse?"
The pressure on healthcare workers is also having an effect on their families, according to Johanna Elms, whose mother and husband both work at Wagga Base.
"As a family member, you're there to absorb a lot as well," she said. "What happens in the hospital ... can also be brought home.
"You need to help support your loved ones when they're fatigued."
The Murrumbidgee Local Health District have not responded to The Daily Advertiser's questions about staff retention and shortages.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Thousands of nurses walked off the job across the state on Tuesday in their first strike in a decade.
The NSWNMA is calling on Premier Dominic Perrottet to bring in staff-to-patient ratios similar to those in Victoria and Queensland.
Mr Perrottet said on Monday talks between the government and the union were ongoing.
"There's a number of issues that need to be resolved, there are a number of issues that are up for discussion and the health minister continues to work through that and continues to keep me advised on how those issues are progressing," Mr Perrottet said.
In a statement released on Monday evening, a NSW Health spokesperson said the Industrial Relations Commission had ordered the union to "immediately cease organising and refrain" from taking any sort of industrial action.
NSW Health said the order would remain in place until 4pm on March 14, or "until further order of the commission".
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