International Nurses Day 2023: We Spoke To Some Maltese Nurses About Their Profession
A nurse’s profession is invaluable – and today is all about commending them for their tireless work.
International Nurses Day is celebrated yearly on 12th May, which was Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The theme for this year’s Nurses Day is ”Our Nurses. Our Future” – a global campaign that sets out to address the global health challenges, and to emphasize how crucial nurses are to overcoming these challenges.
For 2023’s International Nurses Day, Lovin Malta spoke with three local nurses, for their insight on what it’s like being a nurse.
”There are a lot of misconceptions about nursing and healthcare work. Without actually being in the hospital environment; whether as a patient or a healthcare worker, one might not know exactly how many roles a nurse or carer actually has,” Rachel Buttigieg, a nurse at the St James Hospital, told Lovin Malta.
Nurses work hard for long hours, they emotionally invest in their patients, and can even face traumatic situations.
1. Sharon Micallef, Mater Dei
”What I love most about the nursing profession is the fact that you can make a difference to someone when they are very vulnerable and in need, the fact that even though you have the same scenario, people are different, and you have to handle their situation differently, so it’s never really boring… the small satisfactions of gratitude and appreciation.”
When asked how long her shifts are, this is what she had to say:
”Twelve-hour shifts… yes long hours, so mentally I divide my day in three parts so as not to see how long it is. From 7am until 11am, then from 11am to 3pm, and then I’d tell myself ‘okay only the last few hours to go’.
“The longest shift ever was when, way back, we had the first ship with irregular immigrants, and the whole hospital was on alert – those who were on duty had to stay until 9pm to help the night staff.”
”Then there’s the dealing with difficult patients, it’s very challenging….and obviously, it’s different from one patient to another….my strategy is to try to figure out why they are acting this way, not by asking, but by listening to them, their body language, etc.”
“Most of the time I’ll find that the reason is fear, lack of knowledge and information, the fact that they have to rely on people to take care of them, the reasons are endless but once you see this you can adapt to their needs. Above all, you need PATIENCE, a lot of tongue biting, and deep breaths,” Micallef concluded.
2. Marika Busuttil, Mater Dei
”The most rewarding aspect of nursing is the emotional reward you receive when caring for patients. It’s also rewarding to support people who are at a vulnerable point in their lives with kindness, care and respect.”
”On the whole patients appreciate and respect us. As for our profession in general, we are definitely not respected. In wages we are not equal to other healthcare professionals with equal diplomas, degrees etc…”
Here is what Busuttil had to say when asked what’s the most challenging aspect of the job:
”When a patient dies it is always a challenge. The biggest one for me was when I witnessed newborn twins in Intensive Care, deteriorating and eventually died. I can never forget their father’s face, bearing in mind that their mother was recovering from the cesarean section, and unaware of what was happening.”
3. Rachel Buttigieg, St James Hospital
”There are a lot of misconceptions about nursing and healthcare work. Without actually being in the hospital environment; whether as a patient or a healthcare worker, one might not know exactly how many roles a nurse or carer actually has. I think nurses have gained a lot of respect over the years, especially since the covid period. Perhaps more education and exposure about the hospital environment on tv programs and articles like this one will shed some light on the nursing and care provider professions.”
”I normally work twelve-and-a-half-hour shifts but it’s not uncommon to stay past that time, and I have worked a twenty-four-hour shift, just because we were understaffed.”
”The most difficult part of the job is talking to a deteriorating patient and their relatives about the patient’s condition. You always have to think before you speak and choose your words wisely, be empathetic and supportive, but you should never give false hope.”
”The best feeling is seeing a person, who was once a patient of mine, fully recovered and rehabilitated into their daily routines ‘back to normal’. Malta is a relatively small country so this happens very often.”
Nurses are a force to be reckoned with – the unsung heroes of society.
Thank you to all of them who spend their hours looking after our family members and friends in hospitals.
Tag a nurse in your life
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