The Neighborhood's Nurse:
Her Roles and Responsibilities
Introduction: Some people came as early as 5 O'
clock in the morning, some during the morning meal, and some even in the dead
of the night…. They all have one thing in common; they needed my sister who is
a nurse, and who also was the neighborhood's nurse up until she got married and
moved to the United States to be with her husband. Is this story or a
"maya" (an illusion)? Definitely not! This Samaritan life challenged
and changed me as time rolls on. I do not know what else I would be doing had I
not become a nursing student. I knew what it takes to become a nurse, and the
hectic life that came along with it. I knew the good, the bad, and the ugly
side of the nursing profession. Nevertheless, I have decided to become a nurse;
no turning back!
She is well trained: I have seen the feelings nurses
have when they are at work, at home and in the neighborhood. They have been
trained and educated to help people to become healthy, wealthy and wise. Their
job does not begin at the hospital, but everywhere and every time they are.
They are well trained to prevent sicknesses, maintain personal hygiene,
cleanliness and sanitation, community well being, etc. in addition to CPR,
emergencies, short-term and long-term healthcare. To sum up, their roles and
responsibilities extend above and beyond the hospitals and healthcare
industries.
R&R#1: Give awareness: The first responsibility of the
neighborhood nurse is to make sure that people are aware of their earthly body.
We are not made of machines; we do not evolve as a result of big bang or from
other lower primates, but we are the children of God. God created our body very
delicately and very intelligently. He created us to be in this planet earth
with such an earthly body that has the minimum and maximum resistance to heat,
light and force. We are created to be very limited in this world. It is so
awesome to be able to do our routine activities such as being able to get up
from our bed, go to the toilet, cook, eat, drink and breathe without any
problems. It is only when we could not do such routine activities that we knew
how it feels like to be able to do those things. Some people knew early when
second chance is still in hand, whereas some people realized only when it was
too late. Keeping the neighborhood healthy and in good shape is job number one
of the neighborhood nurse.
R&R#2: Train them: The second responsibility of the
neighborhood nurse is to train the neighborhood to live healthy and to be in
good shape. This means maintaining personal hygiene and safety, to be proactive
and preventing from unhealthy foods, drugs and environment. This also means
going to bed early, getting up early in the morning, exercising daily, brushing
teeth, taking bath and wearing clean clothes. So many people did not care about
their health and spend their hard earned money in the hospitals and end up with
so much debt. God predestined some ailments that are beyond control, whereas
many are as a result of carelessness and lack of personal hygiene. I have seen
so many careless people inflict their bodies with fatal drugs and practices by
intoxicating their God given body with alcohol, tobacco, illegal and addictive
drugs.
R&R#3: Availability: The third responsibility of the
neighborhood nurse is to attend to the calls and health needs of the neighborhood
24/7. Availability is one key components of the neighborhood nurse's life.
Early in the morning, during meal times, in the evening, and even in the middle
of the night does not make any differences in the life of a good neighborhood's
nurse. It is the compassion that calls and puts the neighborhood's nurse in
motion. It is the heavenly touch that heals the wounds and sicknesses of the
patients. Ultimately, she becomes "the lady with the lamp" and gives
hope to the hopeless, food to the hungry, comfort to the depressed, liberty to
the oppressed, cleanse the wounds, and heal the sick. I have seen happy tears
rolling down the soft cheeks of patients and parents when they hear, "It
will be all right."
R&R#4: ABC - Always be
careful: Notwithstanding
the fact that nursing profession is noble per se, it is not absolute in its
nobility. Nurses are more exposed to diseases than common people because of
their constant contact with patients, and their work environment is always full
of contagious and communicable diseases, some of which are fatal. They are also
as vulnerable as their patients. Secondly, sick people are short tempered,
complaining and sick of everything that come in contact, including nurses.
Experience showed that some patients or their attendants fight with nurses as
if they were their bonded slaves. Thirdly, sometimes, patients and their
families sued nurses for something that went beyond their control. Some
instances could be life threatening to nurses as well. There are premeditated
medical malpractices, but most of them are done with the highest integrity and
best effort. Fourthly, nurses have hectic schedules that revolves around the
clock - morning, evening and night duties at the hospital; and 24/7 duty-time
as the neighborhood's nurse.
Conclusion: The environment and the nature
of the job might seem disgusting up front because nurses deal with some of the
most disgusting stuffs that human being can have when they are ill - sore,
burn, wound, cut, blood, urine, stool, etc. But, it takes a lot of commitment
and sacrifices to be able to stand against such challenges. People with great honor and big heart could
have the guts to do that not-so-glamorous profession. In today's economy, there
are stories of parents sending their kids to nursing schools because of the
financial incentive the profession has to offer. While we are not strongly
against such concepts, we must acknowledge that it is not money that drives
people with honor to do the job, but it is the heart that goes beyond the
lucrative nature of the profession. It is the heart that says, "I am here,
send me" even in the middle of the night or even when battles are raging,
jets are scrambling, and bombs are exploding.
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