Nursing and the Attitude: Keep the Spark Burning

By: Mickey Harianto

Reflection:

In a third world country, hospitals like Southern Philippines Medical Center and

any public hospitals, are usually crowded with patients and watchers, even in hallways.

Beds, which are supposed to be occupied by one person only, are used by 2-3 patients.

The ideal patient-nurse ratio is 1:2, but in the country, one nurse is assigned on the entire

ward, which may seem as a burden because the assigned nurse will be responsible in all

of the needs of the patients in that specific area. This is exhausting to the nurse, and it

may seem possible that the effect of sympathy is crossed off the list.

The article discussed about how empathy, sympathy and gratitude go long lengths

to people on the receiving line. I am fully convinced and supportive of the article, as this

is something I can relate to. I do not like chaos, as much as possible, I try to stay patient

around people who test me the most. Highly likely, I might just be passive aggressive.

This is how I go inside the clinicals, too. I try my very best to be treat the patients very

well as much as possible because I know the kind of hell they are enduring in the hospital.

Let us face it, the government funds are not enough to suffice the health care

institutes in the country, and one aftermath of it is the suffering of healthcare workers

especially the nurses, who are forerunners in promoting health. It’s easy to talk about how

empathy should be a thing for nurses, but how can nurses be that much on a caring level

when the government does not put their needs as a priority to begin with?