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I Love What I Do, But... |
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I have been a nurse for 27 years (where did the years go?), have nursed in three different countries and systems and things are changing slowly but surely. I have had the opportunity to change professions twice, but chose not to. I love what I do, but... there was a time when I could nurse and my patients were my prime concern. There was a time when I could sit and talk to patients and families and really get to know them. There was a time when I could go home at the end of a busy day and feel I had accomplished all that I wanted. There was a time when I knew all the staff had been adequately educated and there was enough of them to handle just about anything. There was a time when patient care took up 75% of my time and paperwork the remainder (now it's vice versa). I do the best I can, knowing it's not enough; this becomes more and more difficult to live with and it's not a profession I would recommend and I discouraged my children from becoming nurses. If you don't care it's difficult to be a good nurse, and if you do care it can eat you alive. Many nurses are so busy doing the paperwork (for legal and state purposes, not for the patient), pushing the pills, doing the treatments, watching the monitors or the IV's, or the other techie gadgets, we don't have time to see the person behind all of this. We are taught communication and assessment skills but have little time to use these effectively. I am fortunate to have an excellent team of Nurse Aides and Nurses, but it is a constant struggle to keep them with me when they can earn more at an easier job, working in a grocery store or a restaurant. They provide excellent care under difficult circumstances. Most of our residents respond well to the gentle calm approach, but there are just as many, due to the disease, who will grab, kick, bite and scream throughout the process of the bath or incontinence care. The demands on the staff increase daily with increased acuity of the residents. Not so long ago, 50% of those now in a nursing home would have been in a hospital setting. People are managing to care for their loved ones at home for longer periods with community nursing, so when the person eventually comes into the nursing home, they require a lot more care.....yet in many cases, there is less staff then there was a few years ago. I have come to the realization that I could be at work 24 hours a day and still not be satisfied that everything was done. I left the other countries when I felt that it was becoming dangerous due to short staffing and cut backs and that I could no longer make a difference. Nurses need to be able to feel that they make a difference in the lives of their patients and families, so if a nurse is making a difference in your life or in the life of your loved one, please tell them. Often, they only hear from families when there is a problem. I encourage my families to complain to me and then I deal with it; my Staff have enough to deal with. Would I be a nurse if I could do it all over again? For the first time in my career, I really don't know.
by Mary Brophy
Last updated: June 1, 1999
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