Nursing: A Tough Job
by: Gerard Ward
The nurses working in hospitals today are coping with more stress because of short staffing and over-crowding.
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Nurses have it tough. With the problem of inadequate beds and staff members, the role of a nurse has grown to accommodate higher expectations.
Because of Australia’s current situation with hospitals, some nurses have left the profession, and even the country. But along with the hardships are some of the most satisfying rewards a job could ever give.
Carol Maxfield, an enrolled nurse at Bentley Health Care Service, admits there are some pressures about nursing which can make you feel uneasy at times.
“At the moment, it’s short staff. It makes it very hard, because then there are double-shifts,” she said.
The lack of beds in hospitals means less time for treatment for patients, which is a major concern for hospitals in Western Australia.
“There simply isn’t enough time to deal with patients long enough for a full recovery. There’s always a rush to get a free bed.”
Not only does a short-staffed, over-crowded hospital cause concern for staff members, but doctors and nurses are also in danger of being accused of sexual assault when handling a patient.
“Anyone on staff who is accused, regardless of the situation, has to be removed from the ward until the council has the hearing,” she said.
A nurse’s licence, the qualification that allows you to practice nursing, is something that can be taken off you quite easily for a slip-up at work.
“It can be taken away from you in a snap. It’s that easy. Your nurse’s licence is always something that you should watch.”
But the tension of the nurse’s responsibility does not discourage a committed worker. Despite the stress she has on the job, Carol wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“I love it. There’s always a great story to go home with,” she said.
“Nursing is a never-ending lesson. You’ve got to always be on the ball and be up to date with the newest techniques. It’s what I find the most interesting about the job”.
To add to the growing issues at work, Prime Minister John Howard’s ‘Industrial Relations’ legislation, to be introduced in November 2005, will make benefits for nurses such as minimum wage, sick leave and holiday pay open for change. This could be a big adjustment to the system, and may discourage prospective students from taking up Nursing.
Hannah Busbridge, a Nursing student at ECU, explained how she became interested in the profession saying: “I wasn’t initially interested specifically on nursing, but I didn’t want a boring job. I got the idea about nursing from the ‘ER’ TV show. It looked really exciting, and now I’m studying it.
“It’s great fun learning the techniques. Our homework is to practice our new skills whenever we can. I practice trying to listen to my brother’s heartbeat.”
In regards to a nurse’s duties and responsibilities, Hannah spoke about how the lecturers at university explain nursing as “different, not hard”, and say that the job is very rewarding to those who seek it.
“In three weeks we get to have a prac in hospital, and that involves interviewing patients, which sounds really interesting. You get to meet different people, and if you know what you’re doing, it isn’t difficult. Nursing looks like a really fun job, and I’m excited about it.”
Lucia Gillman is a practitioner scholar, working at Perth Royal Hospital in Emergency and teaching postgraduate studies at ECU. Her expert knowledge in the field of emergency nursing is what she teaches experienced nurses, helping them learn the updated skills. She spoke about what nurses generally think about their job from her perspective saying: “Overcrowding would be the biggest concern for nurses at our hospital.
“There are many factors about stress. And everyone handles stress differently, so I can’t speak on behalf of everyone. But in the hospital, we work in a big team, and that team helps you through.”
Nurses have it tough. But nurses are tough, and they do their job exceptionally well.
So if you’re ever lying on a bed under their care, let them know you appreciate them.