NURSING

Let's start from the beginning, What is nursing?

                            

The challenge to find a simple, workable definition of nursing remains. It’s long history and wide diversity of setting and action are proof that it is a flexible and dynamic activity, therefore complex to define. Castledine elaborated a simple definition based on nurturing back in 1994: "Nursing is nurturing people with their health-related experiences, problems and concerns".

He believed that there is more to the nature of nursing than any definition can encompass.

Other authors like Nancy Roper have used personal experiences to define nursing. She used three nursing procedures to illustrate different points: giving medicines as an example of the dynamic nature of a procedure over time and how it needs to respond to increased knowledge from research; how serving meals, on the recommendation of non-nurse researchers, was designated a non-nursing duty with disastrous results for some patients; and how the many interpretations of the nil by mouth regimen have caused malnutrition in postoperative patients. 

She states that beliefs about what constitutes nursing are not static, nursing policy responds to changes in a wide range of interfacing areas but she is convinced that there is a nurse-initiated core that concerns patients’ problems with everyday living activities. She believes that it is the core that enables nurses, even in their diverse practices, to speak with a united voice, particularly to those in power, so that nursing will be adequately financed and resourced to provide an ever-evolving, high quality, cost effective service.

In the table below there are the definitions provided by different official organizations and search engines nowadays:

Wikipedia:

Google gives a very simple definition, which is probably the most common understanding of nursing:

"The profession or practice of providing care for the sick and infirm."

All the definitions, except the one given by google, acknowledge the amount of different tasks and even roles that nursing involves and most of them agree that there is a core  common to all different specialties and forms of nursing.

Sources: 

-Castledine, G. (1994) A definition of nursing based on nurturing. British Journal of Nursing, 3(3), 134-135.

-Castledine, G. (1994) Nursing can never have a unified theory. British Journal of Nursing, 4(3), 180-181.

-Roper, N. (1994) Definition of nursing: 1. British Journal of Nursing, 3(7), 355-357.

-Roper, N. (1994) Definition of nursing:2. British Journal of Nursing, 3(9), 460-462.

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursing

-https://www.google.es/#q=nursing+definition

-http://www.icn.ch/who-we-are/icn-definition-of-nursing/

-http://www.who.int/topics/nursing/en/

-https://www.rcn.org.uk/professionaldevelopment/publications/pub-004768

TIME FOR CHANGE

I have used this blog as a learning tool through my journey in Nursing.

I remember wearing my uniform with pride, feeling so lucky because I was working in something that I loved.

But the uniform started to get heavier, the time spent with the patients decreased dramatically while paperwork, recording to "cover your back" or "signing for your life" took over. It makes you feel like the patients are your "enemies" and everybody is waiting for that mistake that you are going to make that will destroy your career, your life.

I am the kind of nurse that cares, that does all the training available and goes an extra mile for her patients, but it is not fair, what you are giving, for what you are getting.

The tolerated and systematic abuse from some patients and families, the long hours without food, breaks or without going to the bathroom, the dangerous short staffing levels, the unreal expectations and responsibility, the poor pay for the essential and hard job that nurses and carers do on a daily basis... these are just some of the reasons why I have decided to take a step back, a break, from Nursing. 

Weekends off, your family and friends, and your own health become difficult or even impossible to maintain. Doing further studies while working... well, you can imagine.

A profession so admirable, recognized by none but blamed by all when things go wrong. I just do not have the strength anymore, and its painful, and I am sorry.

To all the health care professionals that have ever worked with me, thank you, I have learned from each and every one of you, we have shared our passion for the job and supported each other, I will always look up to you.

To all the ones that I have treated, admitted, informed and a long etc, I hope you noticed my devotion and believe me when I say that I truly did my best.

To all the nurses and carers, I hope your job, our job, gets properly recognized and rewarded one day. You are super humans, and the last remains of humanity and compassion in a world that 

sometimes seems to have lost its way.

• The human right to health guarantees a system of health protection for all.
• Everyone has the right to the health care they need, and to living conditions that enable us to be healthy, such as adequate food, housing, and a healthy environment.
• Health care must be provided as a public good for all, financed publicly and equitably.

This is not a goodbye, it is a see you later Nursing.

Antia Veiga Feijoo

Staff Nurse

Resources:

-Research papers can be found in Google Scholar.

-http://news.sky.com/story/nurse-went-home-and-cried-because-she-could-not-find-bed-for-99-year-old-10724912

-https://radio.rte.ie/radio1highlights/i-nurses-crying-literally-crying-last-several-days/