lcrossan, Author at The Midwife/Nurse Hobbyfarmer

A Shift In The ED

Nurses learn to navigate the back and forth between the world of hospital and the world of everyday norms, one minute dealing with intense human vulnerability the next heading home to family, to the normal domestic routine. We learn to make the switch (hopefully), not bring work home, out of head onto paper helps me

I mention suicide here, read on with care or maybe not at all?

Chapter 8. My Birth Stories

Maternal red thread, me, mum, granny, great granny and great great granny below

My births were rare in today’s world, both spontaneous labours, no vaginal examinations, no drugs, no interventions of any kind, nothing DONE to me. Afterwards both times, I felt like superwoman like “bloody hell if I can do THAT, I can do anything!”

Violence

Nurses never know what the next shift will bring so we try to turn up well-rested, caffeinated, ready to hit the ground running.

Floods, Mudslides and Roadblocks Feb 2022

I live in a gorgeous semi rural village north of the city, a 30-50 minute commute to work depending on time of day. It’s been raining here for days and days culminating this past weekend in the worst flooding event for years , records smashed in my state of QLD, there’s been half a years rainfall in this one weekend.

I was booked to work early shifts Saturday and Sunday. The drive in 6.30am Saturday straightforward first flood I came across was five minutes from the hospital so spun around found an alternate route heading back towards the city which led me eventually to my destination , entered the carpark via the usual way shooshing through a big puddle (which was later to turn into a big flood) traffic lights out but everyone inching forward slowly navigating them politely and safely

Chapter 16. Complications

Usually pregnancy is a joyful time but for some women things go wrong and hospital admission is needed.

Separated from family, friends and support network, stuck in hospital, often miles from home, joy is replaced by anxiety and fear

For some women …..

We Are Worth It

I wrote this blog in Feb 2022 in the midst of the pandemic while working lots in my hospitals COVID ward.

Around that time my NSW colleagues had taken strike action due to serious concerns about the quality of care they were able to give. Unacceptable nurse:patient ratios and pay inequity were the major problems

Now, November 2022 i can sympathise with the plight of NHS nurses in the UK. Underpaid, under- staffed, working mandatory 12 hour shifts, the pandemic was the straw that broke the camels back. Maintaining the sympathy, compassion, resilience and energy needed for this job with those conditions and the UK government seemingly ignoring their concerns and requests, they’ve no choice but to strike.

There’s a strong sense of purpose in this job, great personal satisfaction can be gained knowing you make a difference, a positive contribution to peoples lives. It’s not for the faint hearted though. Emotional strength, unflappability, sympathy, compassion and firm boundaries are needed. A “do no harm, take no shit.” attitude.

Lacking these qualities the job might hurt you or you might inadvertently hurt the very people you’re meant to be caring for.

The business of nursing brings us into the messy swampland of human suffering, illness and death.
Gutkind, Lee, Ed

Working on the wards of a large Australia tertiary hospital means …