It's not on my to-do list to create a blog today. But I stumbled on some stuff while surfing and my Mom was like you-need-to-find-a-real-job-now! stage and I just wanted to let out the stress from what she said. And so I decided to make a new blog once again. I haven't written for a while because I've been busy with my tours and events organizing business and the freelance writing job kept me busy for the last four weeks.
It's been two years since I graduated from one of the top nursing schools in the Philippines and I still don't have a job. A real job in a hospital where they pay you for the work. I actually been wanting to have one for the last 2 years. It's like I spent almost a million for a 4-year course and I end up being unemployed. When my parents once promised that if I take up Nursing as a major it would be easier to find a job, thus it would be easier to save money for my future. But those, not even one of those promises, was true. For now at least. The global recession has been affecting every industry but even before the financial crisis fired up you will always see this sign on Nursing Offices in the country. FREEZE HIRING. And I really think it is not freeze hiring. In the health care industry, to be one of the world's best health care institution they need to provide quality care aside from the technological advances they have. And they can't provide those if there is scarcity of the health care professionals (which I belong to) in their hospitals.
Being trained in a government hospital, I was able to see the need for more nurses. I was assigned in the Pedia Ward and we cater to 100 to 140 patients a day. That census never goes down, if ever it decreased 80 patients at most. The total bed capacity sadly is 40 patients. So where does the other 100 patients stay? For each bed there are 4 to 5 patients. During one duty, I saw Bed 11 with ten patients. Seriously, ten pediatric patients in one bed. Sad but true.
The ward is basically divided into two. The infectious and non-infectious. Those two is further subdivided depending on what system the disease belongs. The ward is headed by a clinical manager and had two head nurses (for the two divisions of the ward), several nurses and nursing aids. Every shift, each ward has two senior nurses, two contractual nurses (these are not staff) and two nursing aides. If there are trainees, there would be at least 3 or four on each ward. That would make 8 nurses in the ward to cater to 140 patients, their relatives, the doctors and the other health care professionals (med-techs, radiology technicians, dieticians,etc.). The nurses have a lot of duties. Let's start.
a. When the nurses arrive, they get endorsements from their fellow nurses.
b. After endorsements, they go for the rounds.
(In the hospital where I trained, we get the endorsements while doing our rounds to conserve time.)
c. During rounds, we take note of the clients condition, check for the IV fluids (flow rate, level, etc.), check the IV site (for infiltration, swelling, etc.), inform their change of diet (usually for post-op patients), remind their labs just to name a few.
d. In our ward, we actually do two kinds of endorsements. The patient endorsements where we also go for the rounds and next is the medication endorsements. The latter is done after the first is finished.
e. After those endorsements, the 140 charts will we waiting in the nurses station. We chart.
f. If there are new orders from the doctors we carry out the orders.
g. Depending on the cases, we keep ourselves updated for the patients status. And we refer abnormal vital signs and the like.
h. We assist in procedures.
i. When there are surgeries to be done, we endorse the clients' condition to the OR nurses.
j. We answer telephone calls.
k. We deal with doctors. Sometimes, doctors who doesn't know what work etiquette or professionalism means.
l. We deal with the patient's relatives, visitors and others.
m. If there are admissions, we give instructions for the ward rules and everything they need to know while they are in the ward.
n. If there are discharges, we also give them instructions on when to come back, what medications to take, etc.
o. We provide health teachings.
These are only few things a nurse does. And if the ward is toxic, how will 8-12 nurses handle all this toxicity and provide quality care for the 100+ patients. The bottom line is, hospitals need a lot of nurses. They need more nurses for their wards. They need more nurses to provide quality care. But why do they still have the excuse of telling new registered nurses that they have FREEZE HIRING. CRAP...
Just my opinion.
Just me. For now.
-katt-
Being trained in a government hospital, I was able to see the need for more nurses. I was assigned in the Pedia Ward and we cater to 100 to 140 patients a day. That census never goes down, if ever it decreased 80 patients at most. The total bed capacity sadly is 40 patients. So where does the other 100 patients stay? For each bed there are 4 to 5 patients. During one duty, I saw Bed 11 with ten patients. Seriously, ten pediatric patients in one bed. Sad but true.
The pedia ward during OFF season
The ward is basically divided into two. The infectious and non-infectious. Those two is further subdivided depending on what system the disease belongs. The ward is headed by a clinical manager and had two head nurses (for the two divisions of the ward), several nurses and nursing aids. Every shift, each ward has two senior nurses, two contractual nurses (these are not staff) and two nursing aides. If there are trainees, there would be at least 3 or four on each ward. That would make 8 nurses in the ward to cater to 140 patients, their relatives, the doctors and the other health care professionals (med-techs, radiology technicians, dieticians,etc.). The nurses have a lot of duties. Let's start.
a. When the nurses arrive, they get endorsements from their fellow nurses.
b. After endorsements, they go for the rounds.
(In the hospital where I trained, we get the endorsements while doing our rounds to conserve time.)
c. During rounds, we take note of the clients condition, check for the IV fluids (flow rate, level, etc.), check the IV site (for infiltration, swelling, etc.), inform their change of diet (usually for post-op patients), remind their labs just to name a few.
d. In our ward, we actually do two kinds of endorsements. The patient endorsements where we also go for the rounds and next is the medication endorsements. The latter is done after the first is finished.
e. After those endorsements, the 140 charts will we waiting in the nurses station. We chart.
f. If there are new orders from the doctors we carry out the orders.
g. Depending on the cases, we keep ourselves updated for the patients status. And we refer abnormal vital signs and the like.
h. We assist in procedures.
i. When there are surgeries to be done, we endorse the clients' condition to the OR nurses.
j. We answer telephone calls.
k. We deal with doctors. Sometimes, doctors who doesn't know what work etiquette or professionalism means.
l. We deal with the patient's relatives, visitors and others.
m. If there are admissions, we give instructions for the ward rules and everything they need to know while they are in the ward.
n. If there are discharges, we also give them instructions on when to come back, what medications to take, etc.
o. We provide health teachings.
We need more nurses!
These are only few things a nurse does. And if the ward is toxic, how will 8-12 nurses handle all this toxicity and provide quality care for the 100+ patients. The bottom line is, hospitals need a lot of nurses. They need more nurses for their wards. They need more nurses to provide quality care. But why do they still have the excuse of telling new registered nurses that they have FREEZE HIRING. CRAP...
Just my opinion.
Just me. For now.
-katt-
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