[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Image via Wikipedia"]
[/caption]When the children were about to choose a career or course, I gave a faint suggestion about nursing. They both replied that they will not consider it, or choose it as their career.
They simply do not just want to wear nursing scrubs. The reason is beyond this one. They told me that when choosing a career, one does not choose it because of the promising ROI that comes with it. Being idealistic, my children suggested that the youth must not choose nursing if they do not have the heart for it. The patients will be victims if the nurse is not compassionate enough to give heartfelt service.
When my mother-in-law visited the hospital one time, while she was still alive, the attending nurse was silently complaining with her gestures, and after while complained about her smell. This is what my children had been meaning to say all along.
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putris na nars yan! kung ako ang nandoon, makatikim sa akin ng leksyon yun. kumuha pa ng narsing eh hindi nya pala kayang sikmurain ang trabaho ng nars.
ReplyDeletekaya tama ang desisyon ng mga anak mo. kung saan ka maligaya, doon ka. ang trabaho pag mahal mo hindi mahirap. para ka lang naglalaro.
eksakto, blogusvox! dahil bukal sa loob mo ang paggawa. ngayon,kung napipilitan ka lang, talagang puro reklamo ka kahit ang hinahatid nito ay pera. :-(
ReplyDeleteYour kids are right. The prospect for money should never be the primary reason for going for a career. It should be who and what you are. You should fit with what you want to do in life. Let me inform you this though. There are fields of nursing where you don't have to care for patients at the bedside.
ReplyDeleteI got my nursing degree in the US and have been an OR RN here for 12 year now. I don't do bedside care. And I tell you that generally, nurses here are very caring, loving, and professional. During my vacation in the Philippines last 2002, I noticed that the nurses there are exactly the opposite when I visited and even shortly attended to a relative confined in an "exclusive suit" in JRMC. Despite the connection of my relative to one of the hospital administrators, the attitude of the entire medical staff was noticeably indifferent to my patient relative. Because of my background, I felt I needed to ask questions that I thought my relative should know the answer to. But instead of getting answers, I was seen as an irritant to everyone, doctors especially. Nurses came and administered drugs without explaining what they are for. They didn't even show any interest in interacting with the patient. Every time I asked the nurses what is a drug for, they always reacted with a deep sigh and even gave me the look. I suspect they did not know the answers or they must have thought they are too educated to speak to me. I also felt doctors find my sick relative untouchable and didn't even dare to hold a patient record. My relative had a stroke. A nurse had to hold it for them. They didn't talk to my relative at all. I remember asking one of the doctors a question and I was insulted the way she answered me like she didn't owe me any explanation. I think it is PRIDE of who they think they are that makes them behave that way. They were acting like gods not remembering their oath of profession which is "First, do no harm."
It is very different here in the US. There are several reasons for that. One is the fierce competition among hospitals and even doctors here to attract patients. Here, a hospital is just another form of business. Patients are actually clients and are treated as such. As clients they have to feel special have to have the best treatment from all the hospital staff or they will ask for a transfer and they will never come back to that hospital again. Another reason is the Tort Law. Patients can sue and file a claim, even for mere insulting behavior from anyone. Compensation for emotional injury can cost a hospital large sums of money. A hospital won't want that. The third reason I know is the culture. Americans are generally caring people, especially to the sick and defenseless. They take pride in doing something good. They feel bad if at the end of the day they seem to have hurt someone while in the performance of their job or profession. Staff and client relationship in hospitals here are done in (and all are obligated to by law) respectful and professional manner.
There must be more reasons than I can mention. But these alone are enough for one to be encouraged to work well, excel, and even love and enjoy the nursing/medical practice here in the US, and certainly in other countries that have these settings. Can the Philippines have these. Absolutely. But are the Filipino healthcare people willing to be professional, caring, and loving to their patients? I don't really know. If they are, they will have to sacrifice their pride for them to enjoy doing such noble profession. It is sad that your kids decided to avoid pursuing a profession in the healthcare industry specifically nursing based only on what they saw as the attitude of the nurses there. I wish they saw other nurses in other places who are well respected because of their exemplary and professional performance. The economic reward is only secondary which, if I may mention with fear of being misinterpreted, is envied by many.
it is very sad that the medical practitioners here are without care and concern. i believe most of them are doing it for the money.
ReplyDeletemy children's motivation about doing work is not entirely about money. it's probably the university where they are now but my son said it is not even true at all. it is still dependent on the traits people get and acquire plus the innate ones.
so that is why nurses are enjoying their profession when they're in the US. i hope there will be a law here where a patient can sue a erring doctor or nurse. there are many cases that are left unsolved and probably will not have justice because of the loose policies here. :-(