IS IT TRUE THAT THE FOUNDER OF NURSING TAUGHT NURSES THAT ITS OKAY TO BE SINGLE?
Everyone wants to be loved,and love at the same time.while we think this a normal phrase to many,to nurses it’s not.
The founder and mother of Nursing..The late Florence Nightingale..died a single woman.
To her marriage life was not a priority, Nursing career was.And this why the nursing pledge “I will put my career first before any other personal need”
Nurses have found it a norm to be single,The truth is nurses need to be loved,but they have been lured into thinking that,It’s okay to be single.
Most nurses have ended up Single.
Not that they aren’t emotional,all nurses have love within them and that’s why they are nurse..you can’t be a nurse if you full of hate for human kind.
Some have said they tried the love journey,ended up Single mother’s, divorced, separated,and unmarried.
Maybe Nightingale should have explained Why it’s okay for a nurse to leave His/Her family die while They are busy saving another’s life.
To some Nurses,we became nurses because our parents supported us,they paid those fees.
According to Nightingale,none of her parents supported her dream occupation and this may have been the reason to why She didn’t put Family first.
We all make choices of life based on our own story,the life we have had.
NURSES…..ITS NOT OKAY TO BE SINGLE,YOU NEED LOVE TOO.
Here is our survey feedback.
You need family to talk to when you get back home from that hectic day.
Find someone who understands the soft and hard skills behind nursing, someone who will not judge you when you want to vent.
As nurses age,most become mentally ill, because they have been hiding from who they really wanted to be.
Nurses,YOU ARE NOT AN EXEMPTION TO LOVE.
If it didn’t work try again.Don’t say “NO”like our mother Nightingale did…
No one wants to talk about death,yet we know every second we are alive,we are second away from death.
Let’s talk about this
When a patient is dying in a public verses a private hospital.
In most cases,we all have a story to tell, perhaps the experience we have had ,with our dying loved ones in either of the set up.
Jane had her mother in Public hospital suffering from Pneumonia.She narrates her story .
“My mother Mrs Anna ,65years old, started feeling unwell on Monday,1990 @2pm.That afternoon she called me asking if I could take her to the hospital.
Being a widow and coming from a lower class,we had not managed to register her for NHIF services.
I happened to take her to our nearest public hospital.Reaching the hospital,it took us atleast 12hours to secure a bed for admission because doctors had told me that she wasn’t quite well to go back home.
How lucky to secure the bed that faster,somehow.
We continued with care in the ward,
ON Thursday 6pm,my mother’s condition started deteriorating..she started having difficulty in breathing,Became restless
Called the nurse,she saw my mother gasping…took her vitals and told me she’s going to search for oxygen..
All I remember was her trying to make calls with operator, maintenance,and other departments asking for oxygen cylinders..
Luckily after one hour the cylinder was brought,
To my surprise,the oxygen prongs,masks were not available..took another half an hour to get one.
My mother was saved.
On Friday 8am,I looked at my mother and knew something was also not okay.I called for help
The doctor came,and told me mama had died..
Everything happening too fast,the white sheet was placed over her,and she was transferred to the next room awaiting mortuary..”
Mr John ,a professor in mathematics had his lovely wife Mrs linda admitted to a private hospital,
Mrs Linda was a long time patient at this hospital,they had acquired an insurance cover that took care of the medical bills.
Mrs Linda had undergone a surgery for breast reconstruction.
Three days after surgery,Mrs Linda started developing difficulty in breathing and sweating profusely..
The doctor was called in and she was started on oxygen therapy immediately..
Two days later,Mrs Linda started gasping for air,I saw the nurses call in all doctors
Everyone was there from the surgeon, anaesthetist,ward nurses ICU nurses,and residential doctors ..
They asked me to leave the room so they continue with resuscitation,30minutes of trying to revive my wife back was unsuccessful..
The Surgeon came out and gave me the news.That was my lowest moment.
Everyone left the room,looking frustrated, sweating and exhausted.Two nurses remained,told me how they would do the last office and that I had the one hour to call in family before they would move the body to mortuary..”
We all never know when we are gonna loose our loved ones.
Maybe you wondering why and how ,you comparing services and level of care in public and private sector.
Let’s have a look at what exactly is happening in there.
A two factor case,with clear distinction
Working in a hospital is every medics and paramedics dream.The excitement that comes when joining medical school.
You are then taught everything in its perfection,but reality hits when you step in the hospital.
You get to see every aspect in its totality
Working In either public or private hospital has its own pros and cons.
HERE IS THE PUBLIC HEALTH SECTOR WORLD.
Public hospitals are owned by government and operated through the ministry of health.Currently hospitals are managed through counties hence a distinction when it comes to different counties and how they consider health care a priority.
HOSPITAL POLITICS
when it comes to counties,most employ people of that region(tribe) .The county government decides on how they share power through the board of management.
SALARY
Most counties pay nurses starting salary of ksh 65000,depending with the county can be less or more.
Most nurses complain of salary delay for over 3months.They have to survive on loans or locums from private hospitals or personal businesses
RESOURCES
When it comes to hospital procurement,the counties are allocated money for health sector by the national government and the procurement team is responsible to ensure enough supplies.
In most cases public hospitals lack basic supplies like drugs,gloves,water,electricity,hospital beds.etc
Get a prescription,buy the drug rule.
As they say, government hospital stocks panadol and Amoxyl only.There is money allocated for all the drugs needed.
And This is why , there is a slight fee charged at the public facilities,to avoid shortage of resources.
Now depending with the county, you will know,which prioritizes health care
STAFFING
All public facilities are understaffed,many scenarios where one nurse is taking care of 50 plus patients.Or one nurse in a dispensary.
A duty rota for nurses in a county hospital
“A nurse has been turned into a machine and not a human being anymore”
Sharon et al
CARE DELIVERY
To this point we don’t expect even good services provided to atleast 50% of our patients..Because of the unavailability of resources, understanding, hospital politics and low salary
Going for surgery.
In most cases a few health care workers will try their best to give you the care you need,the rest no one cares unless a family member is involved to question.
There is so much in the nurses hand,that a patient is in the hands of a relative untill an incident occurs and there is legal follow up.
PRIVATE HEALTH SECTOR WORLD
The world where everything looks complicated but then accurate.
HOSPITAL POLITICS.
Most private hospitals are managed by owners or an association.which makes the politics even worst.Some run their hospitals as a small kiosk while others do very wel
Depending with how flexible and strategic the owner is.
SALARY
Depending with the level of the facility, starting from ksh 15,000 -100,000.
Again some private hospitals are good at their monthly salary payment while those struggling and having a low pay,tend to delay due to low market.
RESOURCES
Most hospitals have adequate supply as the procurement manager is directly supervised by the owner
STAFFING
A 12hour duty rota in a private hospital.
Private hospitals consider 12hour shift which favours the hospital on few staffs deployment.
However working in a private hospital guarantee you work more than 12hours during that shift because of work load
CARE DELIVERY
It’s primarily dependant on the mode of nursing care delivery practised .Otherwise most of the private hospital have exceptional care because of the high demands given to the employees
nurses are expected to give total nursing care
However,nurses in public hospitals enjoy working there for the following reasons.
Permanent and pensionable job
Job security -no abrupt termination
Less supervision
Long off shift periods on request
While nurses in private don’t enjoy the above benefits,Here are the reasons they enjoy private hospital
Clean environment
Maintaining high social class
Career advancement -on job training
Good technology -adequate resources
Are you a medic?Where do you work?What’s your opinion?
If you were to advise someone,where would you want them work?
I leave home an enthusiastic girl, energetic and ready to do what I love .It’s a night shift you know
Report time(Handing over)
I barely look at who am working with, because I ain’t that person.it’s time for report already.we start with our usual work prayer.
My night mate comes in minutes after the report has started.We continue with the report till our last patient.For seniority purposes my night mate is debriefed on the patients report missed.
Am not a talktive person so I prefer to do my work with minimal workmate gossip especially if am not used to you.
At 11pm a patient’s relative comes at the desk,he talks to my colleague about his patient.He seem not happy about how the patient is doing.My colleague exchanges with him and later snobs him and leaves for another patient’s room
I can tell the man is offended,He comes again asking my colleague if he could talk to his patient’s doctor,How they exchanged became less of my concerns.but I can tell,things are not good.
He leaves for his patient’s room comes again with a phone,throws it to me asking me to speak to the doctor.Am here wondering what the hell!
How I felt after my senior colleague left me to handle the escalated
I asked him to let me call the doctor with the hospital phone,He starts shouting at me,calls me all the names he knows,tells me how small i am,
How lucky I am to be employed in the hospital.
How I don’t deserve it.
With all the noise in the hospital,a nurse in the casualty which is far from the ward call the hospital matron about weird noise.
With all the shouting,my colleague never comes back to the nursing station.
I talk to the doctor,he gives me orders about the patient as per relative request.and tells me he will review the patient next morning.
The matron comes,the man can’t stop shouting .the man says his side of the story and am not,the senior nurses tells the matron about me and the relative,when I had left for another patient.I can easily tell she fixed me where am not to be fixed
Am back at the station,the matron,abusive relative,doctor and senior Nurse are there.The matron tells me to apologize to the man………I never felt offended like that..😢
You don’t need to get to this point.
I expected her to know that,This man wanted to beat me,abused me emotionally but she never was for me.Clients are always right.Am told not to attend to the patient until discharge.
I felt offended again,how I had bonded to my patient she was one of my best old patients that I give my best.
A video in 2021
To my surprise next morning,this man is well known by the hospital and every old employee of the hospital.He’s known as a man on heavy drugs.
Do you ever think of that nurse you bullying?
Do you think patients are always right?What’s the use of the CCTV in the hospital?
What culture are we cultivating in the future of nursing?
What would you tell my family if I was killed that night?
Patients will always disrespect nurses because they know,the hospital got their backs
Sharon et al
To the novice nurse
You are not alone,we were there and we concurred
Be brave and know what you deserve
Some see sunshine
While some see sunset
Let us know if you have ever been bullied at work.
