Nurses working in Intensive Care Units across the country have spoken of the anxiety they face as they wait for the surge in Covid-19 cases to begin.
Many have been retrained from other nursing duties or have had their units converted to critical care to meet the expected surge.
"Day in day out, there is a lot of stress and a lot of anticipation," Emma, a nurse in the mid-west told RTÉ's This Week programme.
"You're waiting and wondering when is the surge going to happen.
"Right now our unit is being adapted to allow for intensive care patients if the ICU comes under pressure."
Margaret Frahill, a nurse manager in Cork and member of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, told This Week: "Everyone is out of their comfort zone."
Nurses have quickly been retrained and up-skilled on ventilators, wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and nursing Covid-19 patients.
"This is very stressful because the patients are nursed in isolation," she added.
"They cannot see us because we have goggles, masks and full PPE on. They have no visitors so we are trying to to keep them at ease as well."
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It’s not only Irish nurses who are feeling stressed.
Joanne Morrell, an ICU nurse in Huddersfield, England, is feeling the same anxiety.
"It’s just that feeling of anticipation and overwhelming dread of what you are going to face and what you are going to see when you go into work," she said.
"At the moment it’s unprecedented. We’ve never had to deal with anything quite like this."
She posted photos on Twitter showing the effects on her face of wearing a mask all day.
Mine and my colleagues faces are sore and we are run ragged. Mostly we are desperately trying to save lives. Please please #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/5z1bVHFMSC
— JoMo (ICU nurse & proud of it) 🐝 (@bumblebee2907) April 2, 2020
While she is very grateful to have adequate protection, she said over a 12-hour shift the PPE becomes "very uncomfortable."
All the nurses said they were proud of the work they were doing.
"I'm impressed with management and my colleagues," said Emma.
"We've all pulled together and supported each other. Obviously there are times when you feel this is so overwhelming."
There have been calls here for a dedicated mental health counselling service for medical staff.
Counsellor and psychotherapist Geraldine McWeeney, a member of the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP), in Leitrim agrees that medical workers need to be able to come to someone "in full confidence".
Nurses and doctors should not ignore their feelings of stress, says Grainne Clancy, a member of IACP.
"Acknowledge it, I’m feeling frightened, I’m feeling scared, share that with your colleagues," she said.
Mental Health Ireland CEO Martin Rogan says staff need look look out for each other during these unprecedented times.
He said: "We’ve heard of experience of busy A&E departments in the UK where the tea lady checked in with staff members and just quietly came up cup of tea saying, 'I think you need a little break’.
"If we don’t care for our staff members they develop compassion fatigue and simply won’t be in a position to care for people."
By far the biggest worry for nurses like Emma is becoming infected with Covid-19 themselves.
She said: "Every time you go into a patient’s room you do worry ‘could I be the one to get it’.
"If you have a vulnerable relative at home you are worried about bringing it home to them."
Emma is currently living away from home to protect her parents. "I’ve had to make that decision. I can’t see them and it’s tough," she added.
"That’s the biggest thing for everybody, that they’ll get sick themselves." said Margaret Frahill.
"We have nurses and health care assistants who are pregnant. You do worry for all your staff as well."
For Emma, walks and chocolate are getting her through this stressful period. For UK-based ICU nurse Joanne Morrell it’s her supportive husband and family.
"I do have a cry either in the car on the way home or in the shower because of the enormity of it all," she said.
"The things we are seeing are truly heartbreaking."
Mental Health Ireland has developed a range resources for protecting your mental health during Covid-19.
They are available at mentalhealthireland.ie
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