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 …
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