Nurse’s strike, my thoughts

Hey friends,

I am a third year student nurse. I was genuinely stunned when I first entered nursing. Clinical placement ( the time you work in hospital wards as a student, 35 hours a week for free) shook me to my core back in first year. You meet people at their very worst and are allowed into their darkest moments.

However in exchange you get a glimpse into faith, the power of family, the hope of better days, the magic of a good cup of tea, how laughter, banter and visitors heal, how kindness is catching and how we are all connection through the share experience of being human.

Walking into the ward in first year with 3 months of theory behind me felt like going to the moon. After some initial teething problems I grew to value, appreciate and enjoy the career.

The life of a nurse is not for the faint hearted. Not a day goes by that I do not find myself truly touched by humanity. I see great loss and greater love. Caring for strangers does something to you and you leave each day feeling like you have made a difference.

I have learnt a lot about life through nursing and feel like I myself have grown stronger and more compassionate as a result.

However, the current climate in Irish hospitals has left myself and my fellows lost for words. If only we could film the 13 hour work life of a nurse then maybe things would change.

Basic care is the pillar of nursing. When the chips are down, the small things become the big things. We as nurses know this and try to do for people when they can’t themselves. Feeding, changing, toileting, minding, reassuring, mobilising, adjusting, cleaning, treating, laughing with, holding, listening, medicating, answering questions, standing up for patients, advocating, advising, empowering are just a few of the actions that nurses do on a daily basis.

Staffing is beyond low. Hospitals are struggling to hire and retain nurses due to the very low wage offered. I don’t want people to assume that the planned strike is coming from a place of greed. Nurses deserve to be paid a fair wage for the incredible, selfless, 4 years of unpaid college placement work that they do. The low staffing levels results in a reduced ability to care for vulnerable patients.

Most days there is not physically enough staff bodies on the ward to give the level of care and attention that sick people deserve. An increase in the pay would lead to an increase in the likelihood of young graduate nurses staying in Ireland.

When we graduate, we are given a degree in one hand and plane tickets in the other. I do not know of any of my friends that plan to stay in Irish healthcare once qualified and that deeply saddens me.

Everyone going on strike has my full support and respect. I can only hope that this time change happens for everyone’s sake, sanity and safety.

-K