Behind the white coats of the nurses, there is a life going on that the patients do not see

The author of the book "Reggiri" pointed out that the lives of nurses are beyond white coats and caring for patients and said: "I tried to present a real picture of their daily life to the audience by narrating humorous memories."

Zahra Eskandari, Ambassador of Arjan Culture and Literature Group: Nurses are among the members of the medical staff who face difficult moments and various experiences in the front line of patient care. The days of the Corona epidemic depicted, more than ever, the difficulties of this profession and the efforts of nurses to take care of patients; The days when fatigue, anxiety and constant exposure to illness were a part of their working life. However, the whole life of nurses is not limited to critical moments and bitter experiences, and in the heart of these difficult daily lives, sometimes things happen that, despite all the seriousness of the hospital environment, take on a humorous tone.

The book "Vargiri; Humorous Memoirs of Nurses" by Mohammad Mohammadi, published by Mih Publications, is a collection of such memoirs that narrates less-seen corners of nurses' lives based on real hospital situations. This book tries to familiarize the audience with the daily experiences of the medical staff and present a more humane image of this profession with a humorous language.

On the occasion of Nurse's Day, we had a conversation with Mohammad Mohammadi, the compiler of the book "Reggiri", about the formation of this collection, the role of humor in the narrative of hospital life, and the effort to show the true face of nurses.

* In the introduction of the book, you said that Iranian people usually draw humorous points out of different situations. But in "Reggiri" we are dealing with situations that are sometimes associated with pain, fear and even death. How can you make fun of such experiences, without ignoring the patient's suffering or the nurse's workload?

Doctors, nurses and other members of the medical staff have a life in the hospital environment with the coordinates of life outside it; A life in which there are bitter and sweet moments, anger, happiness, hunger, thirst and other human experiences. From this point of view, life in the hospital is not much different from life in other environments and it can be narrated with the same characteristics and human relationships.

One of the main goals of the book is to show the audience that the narrated events are a part of a person's daily life. When the audience accepts this fact, they join the narrator, believe his stories and even put themselves in the place of the characters in the story. If the audience can make such a connection with the narratives, I have reached my goal as a nurse who is the narrator of these memories.

* The title of "venipuncture" refers to one of the familiar tasks of nursing, but the book speaks of a series of unpredictable experiences. Why did you choose this title?

Vein removal is a treatment that is known both to the medical staff and to the general public. On the other hand, this action sometimes becomes one of the areas of discussion and disagreement between the nurse and the patient; As far as it can be considered one of the most challenging therapeutic measures in the interaction between the two.

Since the main audience of the book is the general public, choosing the title is also very important. The title of the book should be attractive and intriguing enough to encourage the audience to read it. For this reason, even in choosing the name of the book, one should pay attention to people's familiar experiences and situations that they can relate to and go to the book to discover the stories behind this title.

* When you were choosing a memory for the book, what was the main criterion? How funny is the incident, is it real, or can it reveal an issue in the patient-nurse relationship?

Considering that the book was supposed to be written in the form of humorous memoirs, naturally, subjects were chosen that have the ability to become a humorous narrative; However, the main criterion in choosing the memories was their realness and tangibleness. Many of these events may have happened to other people; For example, mistakes in stating the names of drugs and medical equipment or their incorrect use are situations that may occur in different ways in different hospitals.

From the beginning, we were not going to resort to exaggeration and exaggeration to make the audience laugh, but the goal was to narrate real events and daily relationships in the hospital environment; An environment that, at first glance, may be less associated with laughter and humorous moments. I tried to show that even in such an atmosphere there are situations that can be narrated with humorous language.

* Career memoirs usually start from personal experiences, but not all of them can be turned into books. When collecting the narratives, how did you decide which experience went beyond a funny incident and could provide a picture of the conditions of a profession?

In the world of narration, even a two-word sentence like "Daddy came" can form a narrative. Therefore, narrating requires a subject and words. If the words can be transformed into a narrative in the form of a subject in accordance with the general atmosphere of the story and at the same time being faithful to the essence of the event, then it can be said that the narrative has been formed correctly.

I used this method for each memory and tried to turn each memory into a narrative that is both faithful to the story and attractive to the audience in terms of expression and processing. The result of this effort is the narratives that are placed next to each other so that the audience, while reading the book, feels that they are experiencing the life and daily routine of a nurse closely.

* In the book, the hospital is not only a place of treatment; It is a space where people's fear, anxiety, ignorance, fatigue and behavioral differences come together. In the process of collecting, did you find a common pattern in the behavior of patients and companions that is repeated many times in different memories?

These are exactly the characteristics of real life. As I mentioned before, each person shows his own reaction when faced with different events; For example, even the behavior of two patients with the same disease, such as a cold, can be different from each other. On the other hand, the presence of people with common pains and experiences together can create similar and recurring situations.

This book is also written with the narration of such adventures; Hoping that one day an audience will read it and feel close to one of these situations and say to themselves: "Wow! I have done the same thing!"

* Humor can reinforce or challenge common stereotypes about nurses. When choosing memories, were you careful not to make the nurse appear as a tired and confused person or the patient as an ignorant and troublesome person?

In this book, I tried to show the real face of a nurse to the audience; A human being with all human needs and emotions that may be angry, hungry, tired or thirsty, laugh and even cry. My goal was not to draw an unrealistic and ideal image of the nurse, but I wanted to introduce her to the audience as she is in her daily life.

I believe that if people know and understand nurses as they are, many misunderstandings, tensions and differences that arise in the hospital environment will be reduced.

* If the audience only laughs at the funny memories of the hospital after reading the book, has your goal been achieved? Or do you expect him to change his attitude towards nurses and his behavior in the situation of illness?

Making the audience laugh using healthy humor and away from unconventional and sensitizing jokes is a valuable and significant action; But the main purpose of the book is to introduce a kind of life that goes on in the hospital environment. If the book can achieve this goal and acquaint the audience with the experiences, concerns and realities of the daily life of nurses, it can definitely be effective in changing society's view of nurses and their professional status.

* Mih Publications collects the memories of various guilds in the "Professional" collection. What do you think the satirical narrative of occupations reveals that official reports, expert interviews, or serious accounts of the same occupations fail to reveal as well?

We usually look at these professions as just a job and think less about what might happen to a teacher, builder, clergyman, nurse, policeman and others in their work environment. These events can shape a part of people's personality or affect their behavior.

When we take a profession out of its purely occupational context and connect it to everyday life and real events, we find that even people who do not have a positive view of the profession may be attracted by the appeal of its everyday narratives. In the meantime, what better genre than humor can help to create a connection between people and reduce their mental distances?

* As a collector in the profession yourself, were there any memoirs that you thought were funny at first, but when you prepared them for publication you realized there was a serious issue behind them about the working conditions of nurses or their relationship with the public?

Yes, definitely! For example, in the book, we mentioned the issue of canceling surgeries due to patients' mistakes and we went over it; While the cancellation of a surgery is an important event that can have many consequences for the doctor, nurse and even the patient himself. The book does not deal with what happens after such an event; But as a nurse, when I think about this issue, I tell myself what difficulties the nurse will face after canceling the patient's operation, and to which people and authorities she must answer to explain this.

* If you're going to consider "Reggiri" not just a book to laugh at, but a narrative of a social issue, what is the most important issue that these memories reveal about people's relationship with the medical staff?

Behind all these narratives, there is a common message; that nurses are also part of this society; Children, sisters and brothers are the same people and they expect to be accepted with all their characteristics and abilities and shortcomings.

The occurrence of tragic events in hospitals, especially those that lead to the death of patients, sometimes leads to the formation of a negative view and mistrust towards the medical staff. Undoubtedly, negligence and error may also occur and it cannot be denied; But the point is that in the hospital environment, which is a part of real life with all its complexities, the medical staff do their best to take care of patients and maintain their health.

In this path, like in other areas of life, sometimes bitter events and sometimes sweet experiences take place. However, the main goal of the treatment staff is to provide positive experiences with more effort and commitment. This fact should be considered in judging nurses and other members of the medical staff.