I enjoy the drama that is played out on T.V. and at times picture my self working in a grand hospital. Then I snap back to reallity, I work in a 35 bed hosptial where the experience is limited and I am slowly loosing all my skills. Sometime I say "I'm leaving" but I just can't its my home and we are already loosing all of our nurses to big countries like the U.S. and the U.K. Here I am a jack of all trades master of none. I am going to try give you a picture of this place. It's one long ward, it's separated in cubicles male and female. There is no medical or surgical wards ect. everyone is in one big pot. On the female side there's paeds. and matty. Even thou the place is small you go home mentally drained. On a average day I have at the max 16 pts. with limited staff one RN, one RN midwife, one nursing assistant. when the midwife get a woman in labour its the one RN and assistant to manage the 16 pts. Out of the 16, 4 are critical needing ICU care. I would have all medication to serve and still monitor the critical pts as ordered. Then there is still doctors rounds, with all appearing at the same time and all wanting their orders carried out STAT. Now there is still feeding of patients, turing of the medical bed patients, the surgical ones that have dressings to be done. ( lets not forget the midwife who is now deliverying a baby by herself another disaster waiting to happen.Yes the OBGYN doesn't deliver babies here, all they do are the CS). There is never an orderly around so all the heavy lifting is mine. I work whole shifts without a break because there is never enough staff to relief me. To make a long story short even thou the place is small it is stressfull having to think medical, surgical, peads, ICU and all that comes with illness in one shift. On top of the work load the treatment of the nurses by other staff and the public is one I would not wish on my worst enemy. Many days I cry before I go to work and I cry when I finish. I am thinking about leaving the profession but I love being a Nurse.
Name: Carol
Name: Carol
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