Let’s see what’s been happening this week on the nursing blogs.
To nominate a blog for future editions e-mail zarathustra at mentalnurse dot org dot uk
Student Nurses
Didn’t Want to Be a Doctor is critical of the blogosphere’s reaction to John Prescott’s bulimia.
Fine. John Prescott might’ve made this up to help shift more of his new book, god knows things more cynical than that happen on an every day basis, but what if he’s not? If he’s not, Doctor Crippen and his ilk are further pushing the idea that only young, skinny women suffer from eating disorders, which is a view that belongs in nowhere else other than the bin. I could dig up relevant statistics if I could be bothered, but I have read from several sources that more men and more older people are suffering from eating disorders like bulimia. Having a pop at John Prescott doesn’t help awareness one bloody iota!
The Oracle describes a bizarre form of self-harm.
She was admitted to medical assessment following a suicide attempt, 10 paracetamol, the usual. However, that was not the only method she used to try and do herself in- as well as the, frankly, pathetic attempt at death by paracetamol she also injected herself (in the antecubital fossa) with petrol. Yes, Petrol. 2ml of it to be precise- she was aiming for 20mls, but it hurt too much. (Personally, I’d have injected 20/50mls of air- surely it’d be less painful than petrol).
Nurse Practitioner
Fat Lazy Male Nurse calls for “nurse practitioner” to become a protected title.
The problem being, there is currently no protection of the Nurse Practitioner title. This is something NPs have struggled to remedy, there is alas, little support from the DoH.
This leaves those of us who are qualified NPs, and prescribers, with little recourse when faced with this kind of criticism. My personal view is that there is no attempt to defraud patients, but until the title is protected by statute. We will still be seen as quacks by those of our medical colleagues with little insight as to the positive benefits we bring to patient care.
Nurse Manager
We’re not the only ones talking about the government’s new Dignity in Care campaign. Life in the NHS is discussing it too.
In the main I believe that most of us do think about the needs of others, we treat people with the respect and dignity of others and that respect and dignity is reciprocated. Sometimes though this doesn’t happen. Today I heard anecdotes of a nurse taking the blood pressure of a patient, wearing gloves and without speaking to the patient, of doctors not imagining people need to have their condition and treatment explained to them, of people having their bodies exposed to whole wards and this was just examples given by health care professionals in their private lives.
It is sad that the government is having to launch yet another initiative, this time about dignity, it is annoying that this might yet turn into another tick box audit type issue. It would be easy to say that the nurses / doctors / etc are just less caring, that they are in some way falling short. But actually is this more of an incitement of our society. After all we don’t necessarily generally treat teenagers, old people, or single mothers with any kind of respect, so why should we be surprised that dignity and respect might be something needing to be taught.
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