Most of South Africa‘s nurses lack confidence in their training, more than 40% have poor health, and a quarter are experiencing severe psychological distress, reports a health care workers study led by the Human Sciences Research Council.
City Press reports that the country’s health care workers, particularly nurses, are also living in fear of contracting a deadly virus and then passing it on to their families.
The survey, says City Press, shows that nurses, often described as the backbone of the healthcare system, appear to be the Cinderellas of the health sector – lagging behind in critical training regarding COVID-19 treatment guidelines. And they have little confidence in their own knowledge about the many moving parts of the virus and its progression…..more
I am not sure what happened to nurse training, but as a nurse myself, who qualified 29 years ago, I think training might still be okay. The challenge is that nurses are expected to serve and give much from nothing. What do I mean? The textbook nursing is different from the real clinical practice. In some hospitals, especially public hospitals nurses are expected to improvise. The older nurses were and are still goo with that. The newer and younger nurses want what the textbook says they must use to undertake a procedure.
Secondly, nurses are not aliens from the sky, they are part of the decomposing society, which have no morals, no love no respect for self and others (this is where the new generation of nurses is). We are living in a broken society, where the norms and values that were taught at home, are not visible in our children, including the nurses. Everybody minds their own business. When nurses feel uncared for, it becomes too difficult for them to care for someone. How do you give what you dont have”
Thirdly, Nurses, because the emotional dump for everyone, Doctors can do as they please, falter prescriptions, mishandle patients and gets away with murder. Nurses who may not be respected by their superiors, by doctors by society pick up the pieces. If they suggest something to the doctor, the response is I’m a doctor, you are a nurse?????? But when things go wrong, the nurse is the first to be required to write a 90 paged; thesis on what actually happened, and the doctor moves on untouched. This happens in the myst of shortage, they the poor nurse will be writing that statement as homework, where her spouse might be waiting with his own insiderate expectations. This leads to burnout, bitterness, anger and a host of emotional and psychological problems. If unresolved they affect the children of that nurse. And the circle of sick society starts again.
I believe, nurses can do much more, if they feel they fit snugly in the eco- system of care, where they are respected, consulted and involved in the decisions made in their areas of care.
Lastly, if the media portray glamorous PPEs in the private sector, it is reasonable for nurses in the public sector to expect the same. If they dont, they feel extremely unsafe and uncared for. “So why should they care about anybody”
Care is the lingo in the creation of living beings, it is of paramount importance that the caring community receives the care, that they can pass on to the diverse society they are caring for.