Now Ye're Talking - To a Nurse!

Zippie84

What type of a nurse are you e.g. general / psychiatric etc?

I'm A Nurse, AMA

Zippie84 wrote: »

What type of a nurse are you e.g. general / psychiatric etc?

General, as a student I did a placement with psychiatry and all the other specialities.

Zippie84

I'm A Nurse, AMA wrote: »

General, as a student I did a placement with psychiatry and all the other specialities.

Do you find mental health still a big part of your job as a general health nurse?

I'm A Nurse, AMA

sullivlo wrote: »

Do you get grossed out by any of it? Like the bodily fluids and cleaning of them?

I was having a colonoscopy recently and the nurse said "don't worry, we've seen it all" - have ye really?

Do you ever become attached to patients?

What's the most annoying family member / visitor you have encountered?

We genuinely have seen pretty much everything, had a poor man who's abdominal wound has broken down, would opens and the poor man is walking towards me with his intestine hanging out of the wound. That was an interesting end to a night shift.

Occasionally things might make you gag a little bit, having to take poo samples you use a little tiny plastic spoon to dig a bit out! It's important if you are dealing with anything unpleasant next to or with a patient you try your very best not to make them feel any more embarrassed or uncomfortable than they already are.

My kryptonite is sputum specimen's or trying to put an nasogastric tube down, or take one out. So snot and sputum is pretty gack.

Definitely become attached to patients, you really remember the lovely ones and you remember the head wreckers. You often reminisce about both kinds with staff, don't cry very often, but we had one patient die and I actually couldn't deal with it and my colleagues had to get the patient ready if you know what I mean. It was a selfish response because all the suffering the man had been through he deserved the release from it but I missed talking to him, just listening to him, we had him on the ward on and off for years and he always saw the best in people and his situation. His family consoled me ffs, that's how nice they were as well, their lovely dad has died and they are hugging me. That was nearly 10 years ago and I'm here welling up.

You get lots of visitors and relations who are very intense, they have loved ones they care about and I understand it but every complaint about everything from catering to doctors not being on ward round to the smell on the ward to the lack of showers to visiting times to parking charges to wait for blood results, think you probably get the idea comes to the nurse. We are the one who take the complaints about EVERYTHING. The visitors I have the most issue with are the ones that think a nurse should solve all these problems and still have time to give the patient the care they deserve. Or the that they'll discharge their loved one because something isn't to their liking. I'm not sure who they think they are punishing if they go through with that threat because it sure as hell isn't the nurse.

I'm A Nurse, AMA

Zippie84 wrote: »

Do you find mental health still a big part of your job as a general health nurse?

Massive. Anyone who takes an overdose but also has alcohol in their system won't be accepted to psychiatric services immediately so we look after those patients. If someone has committed deliberate self harm with wounds that need daily attention we look after those patients, long term psychiatric patients from the community who come in with medical/surgical issues we care for those people. People with Alzheimer's or dementia, we care for those people, people with eating disorders are cared for on the general side where I work. People who live "normal" lives at home often have numerous psychiatric issues that play a part in organising what care they are given. Drug addicts if they are being treated for a medical or surgical issue get treated by us, alcoholics get detoxification with us.

Even people with no supposed mental health problems should be seen as a whole not just whatever ailment they have (I'd include relations and loved ones of patients in that to). People can be badly affected by trauma or altered body image or loss and we should do out best to help them. Trying to avoid another nursing buzz word but I can't, it's called Holistic Nursing.

Luke92

I'm A Nurse, AMA wrote: »

having to take poo samples you use a little tiny plastic spoon to dig a bit out!

I had Leukaemia and my ward was all private rooms with a room to wash hands and glove and apron up before coming into me.

I had to use that little spoon myself! Bloody awkward things to use! But it was my own so not too bad! Except when its diarrhoea!

Anyway, ward I was on it was nurses who done everything (healthcare only changed bed clothes and occasionally answered bells and stuff). Nurses done everything to do with my treatment, well, once the doctors told them what they were doing.

All in all I have great respect for nurses! All I have met were very caring and highly skilled. Never put a foot wrong.

Thanks for all you do!

Zippie84

I'm A Nurse, AMA wrote: »

Massive. Anyone who takes an overdose but also has alcohol in their system won't be accepted to psychiatric services immediately so we look after those patients. If someone has committed deliberate self harm with wounds that need daily attention we look after those patients, long term psychiatric patients from the community who come in with medical/surgical issues we care for those people. People with Alzheimer's or dementia, we care for those people, people with eating disorders are cared for on the general side where I work. People who live "normal" lives at home often have numerous psychiatric issues that play a part in organising what care they are given. Drug addicts if they are being treated for a medical or surgical issue get treated by us, alcoholics get detoxification with us.

Even people with no supposed mental health problems should be seen as a whole not just whatever ailment they have (I'd include relations and loved ones of patients in that to). People can be badly affected by trauma or altered body image or loss and we should do out best to help them. Trying to avoid another nursing buzz word but I can't, it's called Holistic Nursing.

Sounds like a very well-rounded response.

I both have / had mental health problems, and deliver mental health training, and it's a subject very close to my heart.

Glad to hear of the 'even people with no supposed mental health problems' especially since it's not just about having a diagnosis, but ultimately about how we feel within ourselves, and we can struggle with that at times, particularly due to life circumstances, and especially due to things like trauma, loss etc, like you mention.

I was not surprised at all to hear that it's a massive part of your job, think people are often surprised by this, but there's such an overlap between physical and mental health, and usually we just can't seperate them at all.

I'm A Nurse, AMA

Luke92 wrote: »

I had Leukaemia and my ward was all private rooms with a room to wash hands and glove and apron up before coming into me.

I had to use that little spoon myself! Bloody awkward things to use! But it was my own so not too bad! Except when its diarrhoea!

Anyway, ward I was on it was nurses who done everything (healthcare only changed bed clothes and occasionally answered bells and stuff). Nurses done everything to do with my treatment, well, once the doctors told them what they were doing.

All in all I have great respect for nurses! All I have met were very caring and highly skilled. Never put a foot wrong.

Thanks for all you do!

Definitely a knack for diarrhoea samples alright!

Hopefully you're done with bad luck now, stay healthy and avoid hospitals for a very long time. Thanks for the thanks!

I'm A Nurse, AMA

Zippie84 wrote: »

Sounds like a very well-rounded response.

I both have / had mental health problems, and deliver mental health training, and it's a subject very close to my heart.

Glad to hear of the 'even people with no supposed mental health problems' especially since it's not just about having a diagnosis, but ultimately about how we feel within ourselves, and we can struggle with that at times, particularly due to life circumstances, and especially due to things like trauma, loss etc, like you mention.

I was not surprised at all to hear that it's a massive part of your job, think people are often surprised by this, but there's such an overlap between physical and mental health, and usually we just can't seperate them at all.

It's important to at least try to do your best for everyone, we are all human beings after all.

Zippie84

I'm A Nurse, AMA wrote: »

It's important to at least try to do your best for everyone, we are all on the same team after all.



Especially when the aliens come like they did in independence day.

how do you mean, re on same team? I kinda look at it as in general = general in all senses, including mental, so there isn't or shouldn't be a division... that you're there just as much for mental as physical stuff.

and sorry whatever you mean about aliens and independence day has gone over my head

QuiteInterestin

Do you see many mistakes being made that could compromise patient care? How are they dealt with?

I'm A Nurse, AMA

Zippie84 wrote: »

how do you mean, re on same team? I kinda look at it as in general = general in all senses, including mental, so there isn't or shouldn't be a division... that you're there just as much for mental as physical stuff.

and sorry whatever you mean about aliens and independence day has gone over my head

Yeah, that was a tired response , the team is the human race, We are all human beings , hence the aliens reference. Clear as mud, sorry about that.

Zippie84

I'm A Nurse, AMA wrote: »

Yeah, that was a tired response , the team is the human race, We are all human beings , hence the aliens reference. Clear as mud, sorry about that.

ah makes a bit more sense now. the joys of sarcasm and online communications

goodnight.

I'm A Nurse, AMA

QuiteInterestin wrote: »

Do you see many mistakes being made that could compromise patient care? How are they dealt with?

You see certain kinds of mistakes, that don't get as far as the patient. A drug will be charted incorrectly so you don't give it, or unreadable so you don't give it. These are easy fixes as far as our part of it goes, we ask doctor to change it. Or it was given then theres a drug incident form and protocol where a pharmacist gets involved to look into implications and so on.

We also have clinical incident forms which we fill in for incidents and the clinical risk manger does whatever it is they do. We report errors from doctors like that too, but I don't know how their process works once we report it.

Serious mistakes happen but they are honestly fairly rare. Last one I can remember is good 4 or 5 years ago. Doctor administered 25000 units of a blood thinner as a single injection rather than the 5000 units it should have been. Patient fully recovered, and as far as I know the doctor was proved to have iffy qualifications or none at all.

bob50

Hi There

I love your posts but here are some obsverations of mine excuse the pun. my poor mam rip was in hosp for 5 months in 2013 i was given her daily care and attention she was on ward with edelry women with dementia & alzhimers but mum herself didnt have didnt have these conditions she suffered with kidney failure pneumonia 2nd bout killed her whist there.

Anyway nurses that were from here were good in looking after her as against nurses from india and philipines didnt have
much interest in patients on ward.

I stress i am not racist in saying this but i felt the irish nurses were always obliging to patients

Cheers Bob

I'm A Nurse, AMA

bob50 wrote: »

Hi There

I love your posts but here are some obsverations of mine excuse the pun. my poor mam rip was in hosp for 5 months in 2013 i was given her daily care and attention she was on ward with edelry women with dementia & alzhimers but mum herself didnt have didnt have these conditions she suffered with kidney failure pneumonia 2nd bout killed her whist there.

Anyway nurses that were from here were good in looking after her as against nurses from india and philipines didnt have
much interest in patients on ward.

I stress i am not racist in saying this but i felt the irish nurses were always obliging to patients

Cheers Bob

Sorry to hear you lost your mum Bob, also sorry you don't think the care was always what it should have been. It's been my experience with nurses from other countries there are as many good and occasional bad ones as the Irish. Language difficulties can sometimes be a barrier, but I had the same difficulty with a patient from Kerry, didn't understand half what he said! The nationalities I know of at my hospital are from the Philippines, India, UK, Portugal, Poland, Australia, South Africa and Nigeria and on the whole I'd be happy enough to be nursed by any of them.

Sorry again anyway Bob.

TheGoldenAges

What's the future of healthcare coverage in this country? Since the rising costs of private health insurance has pushed so many people back into the public system leading to the chronic overcrowding when do you think the point will come and it becomes unsustainable?

I'm A Nurse, AMA

TheGoldenAges wrote: »

What's the future of healthcare coverage in this country? Since the rising costs of private health insurance has pushed so many people back into the public system leading to the chronic overcrowding when do you think the point will come and it becomes unsustainable?

Well above my pay grade that one! Working in it, it doesn't feel too far off being unsustainable now, but I'm probably over dramatising it and tired and emotional. The costs for private insurance are crazy, particularly as you seem to get less and less coverage every year.

Ideologically I think healthcare should be funded from central taxation. I personally believe socialised medicine and healthcare is a good thing. But as I said many posts ago, the idea people pay more tax, considerably more tbh, would be about as popular as a dose of the plague. So in reality I haven't got a clue what the future holds. Lot of crossed fingers from me anyway and hoping for the best.

What do you make of hospital pharmacists? do you find them helpful? Are they any good regarding clinical advice?

I'm A Nurse, AMA

[Deleted User] wrote: »

What do you make of hospital pharmacists? do you find them helpful? Are they any good regarding clinical advice?

They are very useful and usually very helpful. Great sounding boards to query how you administer certain meds, normal doses for drugs (when the BNF or mims isn't clear) and suggesting to doctors that after weeks on end on antibiotics, it might be time to stop/change them. They will also liase with people's local pharmacists to clarify pre admission medications. No negative I can think of really, apart from they aren't keen on giving away their clicky pens they get given by reps.

nkay1985

Following on from your last sentence, do you prefer clicky top or twisty bottom pens? . A scrubs reference for any fellow fans out there.

What items do you need on you at all times when doing your job?

I'm A Nurse, AMA

nkay1985 wrote: »

Following on from your last sentence, do you prefer clicky top or twisty bottom pens? . A scrubs reference for any fellow fans out there.

What items do you need on you at all times when doing your job?

Clicky, no contest. Although any pen is well able to destroy uniforms by drawing on yourself.

Nothing overly exciting really, pen, a fob watch and pen torch, oh and roll of tape. Handy to have a calculator too for drug calculations.

summer21

On ward where you work what is percentage of irish to non irish nurses?

Do u observe differences in interactions with patients?

Recently had misfortune to spend time in hospital.

Nursing staff 20% irish
60 Indian
20 other

Now what I found with Indian in particular
They never introduced themselves by name
No level of rapport
Meaning they treat u only as patient... Not a person

I'm A Nurse, AMA

summer21 wrote: »

On ward where you work what is percentage of irish to non irish nurses?

Do u observe differences in interactions with patients?

Recently had misfortune to spend time in hospital.

Nursing staff 20% irish
60 Indian
20 other

Now what I found with Indian in particular
They never introduced themselves by name
No level of rapport
Meaning they treat u only as patient... Not a person

Hope you're feeling better. On ward I work on we have one nurse from the Philippines, one from the UK and the rest are Irish. We get relief staff from other countries, mostly India.

Regarding the issue of rapport with nurses from India, it could be they are new in the country and still coming to terms with Ireland and its culture, or lack of confidence with the language that inhibits their communication skills. Maybe further down the line they will be better at this aspect.Hard to say without knowing them, it could be how they are trained too, so time might help them. There are also nurses from Ireland with atrocious communication skills though, so it isn't totally a cultural thing.

iusedtoknow

Do you find any agro between the nursing staff and doctor staff?

My wife qualified as a doctor in Spain, where nursing is mostly understaffed so junior doctors would assist the nurses in certain duties which helped build a rapport between the two groups.

However, that is completely different here in the US. The nurses in their own way look down on the doctors in a "we do all the real work" kind of way, a long with a general attitude that they know more etc.

Does that happen in Ireland?

I trained in the UK under the old style nursing, the last group of nurses to qualify before the degree program. However, I started working as a Research Nurse and moved into Pharma industry.
Have you ever thought about or tried to get out of Hospital nursing or even use your qualification to branch into other areas such as Community or Pharmaceutical?
BTW Nursing is totally different to how it was 20 years ago and not necessarily in a good way.

I'm A Nurse, AMA

iusedtoknow wrote: »

Do you find any agro between the nursing staff and doctor staff?

My wife qualified as a doctor in Spain, where nursing is mostly understaffed so junior doctors would assist the nurses in certain duties which helped build a rapport between the two groups.

However, that is completely different here in the US. The nurses in their own way look down on the doctors in a "we do all the real work" kind of way, a long with a general attitude that they know more etc.

Does that happen in Ireland?

Not usually any aggro with me, I try very hard to avoid it, as I said before, I'm too lazy to invest any of my time or effort in falling out with people. I don't think the doctors you have most interactions with are around long enough in Ireland to cause any long term issues anyway.There will always be personalities that rub against each other, so some nurses don't like being told what to do and some doctors don't appreciate when a nurse suggests something. Don't think that's a great attitude from either example really. Its not a competition and we all want the patient to get better.

I think its fair to say nurses who've been around the block (not me you understand, I'm still a whippersnapper!) probably do know more about the general care and how things work in hospital than fresh out of college Interns, but I don't think the doctors knowledge deficit lasts very long at all, they soon get the practicalities sorted.

The "real work" thing is interesting, we do a lot of the unglamourous stuff, but the work Interns do in Ireland is mad and I certainly wouldn't belittle what they do.

Chancer3001

Do nurses ever flirt or hook up with patients (after they've been discharged presumably)

I'm A Nurse, AMA

Deleted User wrote: »

I trained in the UK under the old style nursing, the last group of nurses to qualify before the degree program. However, I started working as a Research Nurse and moved into Pharma industry.
Have you ever thought about or tried to get out of Hospital nursing or even use your qualification to branch into other areas such as Community or Pharmaceutical?
BTW Nursing is totally different to how it was 20 years ago and not necessarily in a good way.

Your career pathway would be completely in keeping with what a lot of newly qualified nurses and students are increasingly looking for now, not for me though. I couldn't think of much I'd like to do less, but different strokes for different folks!

I'm not sure how nursing has changed outside the hospital setting, but it certainly has changed in hospital, the basics are still the same though, or should be for any nurse caring for people day to day. I've never had any inclination to work outside the hospital environment, its what I enjoy, if it gets to the point where I can't stand it any more, it will be time to leave nursing completely.

I'm A Nurse, AMA

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Do nurses ever flirt or hook up with patients (after they've been discharged presumably)

I'm sure they probably do, there are nurses that are naturally flirty, (same as other walks of life) but I can't recall anyone I've worked with openly going out with a patient after their discharge (though maybe they have and just didn't feel the need to broadcast it)

I'm A Nurse, AMA

I'd say this is probably nearly run its course now, so before it gets locked, thanks for the questions, hopefully you'll all manage to steer clear of hospital for a while.

kevinmcnamara

.....................

Boards.ie: Niamh

Alrighty I'm going to close this up now. I'm A Nurse, thank you so much for answering all of the questions, it's been very interesting. Not sure I'm going to be able to get over that rampant rabbit story though :eek:

We'll hopefully have another one up and running later today.

Thanks for all the questions too folks!