bitter and sweet nursing in difficult days; Fearless in the way of saving human life

Birjand- In difficult days, from the outbreak of Corona to the imposed wars, nurses have shown that they walk fearlessly in the path of saving human lives and do not give up their mission even in the most difficult situations.

Ambassador Arjan of the Provinces Group: When your whole being is filled with pain, when you are lying on the hospital bed with my head in your hand and you don't know what to do with this pain that is sitting in your life, a person in a white coat enters your room and asks you with a smile: "How are you?" are you better Now I will give you your medicine so that you can calm down a bit."

Maybe in those moments, nothing can give peace to a person as much as the presence of that white-clad nurse; Someone who relieves a part of the patient's worry and pain with a few simple words and a behavior full of kindness. At such a moment, your heart wants to send out your deepest prayers; A person who sometimes becomes a support in the midst of pain and anxiety to continue the path of treatment.

Hazrat Zainab's birthday and Nurse's Day are an opportunity to sit with the heartache and memories of these soldiers in the field of health and hear about their bitter and sweet experiences; From the days that were accompanied by anxiety and worry and the nights that the fatigue of long shifts did not diminish a moment from the responsibility of taking care of patients.

Nurses who, perhaps more than ever, have understood the importance of their profession during the Corona days; The days when worrying about getting sick, work pressure and constantly facing the suffering of patients had become a part of their daily life. However, despite all the difficulties, they continued to take care of the patients and maintained their presence in the front line of the health system in various crises.

Ismail Mahmoudi, who has 26 years of experience as a nurse in the army medical complex and is currently serving in Birjand, said in an interview with Mehr reporter: I consider myself first a soldier and then a nurse; A nurse who has experienced the hard days of Corona until the days of recent wars.

A bitter memory from the first days of service

He continued: One of my bitterest memories is from 2013; When a wounded soldier who had stepped on a landmine was transferred from Khuzestan to Tehran, he was not accepted in Tehran.

Mahmoudi stated: The orthopedic specialist who was supposed to admit this injured person had an encounter that I still remember. We explained to him that the patient is a war wounded, but he replied: "Is it war now?" And I had to explain to him that this soldier walked on one of the mines left over from the war.

This veteran nurse from South Khorasan said: I was at the beginning of my career at that time, and it was very bitter for me to face such an attitude; Especially when I saw that the injured person who was transferred from the mine field was having problems to receive medical services.

He added: Such experiences show that caring for the injured and sick is not limited to medical measures, but paying attention to the patient's condition, understanding his situation and human interaction is also an important part of the treatment process.

Mahmoudi stated: I believe that Corona was the point when the nursing profession became more tangible for the society and people understood the role of nurses more. Before that, many people may not have had a clear understanding of the nurse's position in the treatment team, but in the era of Corona, the role and importance of this group became more visible than before.

The first demand; Recognizing the difficulty of nursing work

This army hospital nurse continued: There are many demands of nurses and many of them are completely right, but in my opinion, the first demand should be to recognize the difficulty of nursing work.

Mahmoudi stated: The issue of the difficulty of nurses' work has been raised and approved in the Islamic Council since 1363; However, after about 42 years, we are still facing problems and deficiencies in this field.

He continued: Nurses have been working in difficult conditions for many years, with night and rotating shifts and without holidays, but the difficulty of these conditions is not considered in decisions and support as it should be.

Mahmoudi stated: During crises such as cold, heat, war or the spread of diseases such as Corona, many offices and organizations are closed or continue their activities remotely, but the nurse cannot take care of the patient at home and must be present at the place of service.

This active nurse in South Khorasan said: The issue of staffing, forced overtime and delay in payment of claims are also serious problems of the nursing community. In a situation where nurses work with high work pressure and heavy responsibility, not paying claims on time increases their problems.

Pointing out that currently a significant part of nurses' demands are delayed, he clarified: However, when the patient recovers, is discharged from the hospital and we see his satisfied smile, the fatigue goes away from our body to some extent and we feel that our efforts have paid off.

Referring to one of his memories from the Corona era, Mahmoudi said: I still remember the first patient who was admitted to our hospital with suspicion of Corona.

This nurse from South Khorasan said: We had to transfer the patient from his room to the ambulance to perform the CT scan. At that time, the internal medicine doctor of the hospital and a number of colleagues were very worried and the conditions were such that there was still not enough knowledge and awareness about this disease.

He continued: "In order to make my colleagues fear, I moved the patient myself and we transferred him to the ambulance." In those days, there was concern about contracting the disease among the medical staff and any treatment could be associated with risk.

Mahmoudi said: Thank God, even though I was in danger many times during the corona virus, I did not get this disease.

The experience of Corona days is an unforgettable memory for many nurses; The days when the worry of the disease being unknown, the possibility of contracting it and transferring it to family members, along with the responsibility of caring for patients, put additional pressure on the treatment staff. However, the nurses tried not to shy away from their responsibility to the patients in that difficult situation.

Days with tight shifts and multiple masks

Maryam Sepahi, senior nursing expert, also stated in an interview with Mehr reporter: The most difficult situation for every nurse is when she sees a sick patient, and the best moments for her are when the patient recovers.

He continued: Of course, I must point out that because I entered the nursing profession with love, all my working days have been memorable for me.

Sepahi, who is now the supervisor of Razi Hospital, stated: Corona days were very difficult due to people's lack of knowledge about this disease, and our colleagues really spent intensive shifts with masks and heavy protective clothing.

This senior nursing expert said: At that time, our colleagues continued to provide medical services and prioritized patient care despite the difficult conditions and work pressure.

He added: I am happy that those difficult days have passed and I hope that the experiences gained during that period will be the basis for paying more attention to the working conditions of nurses and better support for this group.

Corona days for nurses were not only limited to working long hours and wearing protective clothing; Worrying about one's and family's health, dealing with sick patients and trying to maintain their morale were also part of the difficulties of this era. However, many nurses remember these days with memories of empathy, responsibility and trying to bring patients back to life.

Nurses' demands should be pursued beyond slogans

Merasem Sayad Molashahi, director of nursing services at Hazrat Wali Asr Hospital (AS) and a member of the board of directors of the Birjand nursing system, also criticized the accumulation of trade union demands of the health community and emphasized: the real honoring of the medical staff is not only summarized in a congratulatory message, but should be seen in practice in providing a livelihood, eliminating forced overtime and timely payment of legal demands.

Referring to the stressful and specific nature of service in medical centers, he added: Although the sense of social responsibility and the professional oath of the medical staff require us to be on the front line of service under any circumstances, work honor is not a reason to ignore the basic rights of this group.

The member of the board of directors of the Birjand nursing system considered stopping forced overtime work as one of the most necessary demands and clarified: nurses, in addition to the duty of caring and educating the patient at the bedside, are also wives and parents in their personal lives. The continuation of the work pressure caused by the lack of manpower should not be compensated by imposing attrition shifts, because burnout threatens the health of the treatment staff and the quality of patient care.

Emphasizing that some of these challenges are not within the authority of the university and require decision-making and willpower at the level of the ministry, Sayad Molashahi said: There have been many discussions about nursing problems, but today the time for slogans is over and the time has come for action to be taken so that nurses can benefit from a decent job position and a dignified livelihood in addition to fulfilling their heavy mission.

He added: attention to the demands of nurses should go beyond the level of expressing concerns and be followed in the form of decisions and practical actions; Because the continuation of providing high-quality services in medical centers depends on providing sufficient human resources, improving working conditions and effective support for nurses.

Appreciation of nurses, more than a greeting

Nurse's Day is an opportunity to appreciate those who stay with patients in difficult moments of life; From the normal days of the hospital to crises such as the spread of Corona and war conditions that make the presence of medical staff more necessary than ever.

In addition to the heavy responsibility of caring for patients, nurses also struggle with long shifts, work pressures, and livelihood problems; However, the improvement of a patient's condition and his return to life is still one of the sweetest moments for them.

Nurses' Day should be rightly congratulated to nurses who, despite the difficulty of work and livelihood problems, stand up for the health of the society and do not give up their responsibility even in the most difficult situations; But the appreciation of this group should not be limited to only one day and a few congratulatory messages.