: Thembinkosi Hermina Nxumalo
: Called to Nursing -A journey
: BookBaby
: 9780620805582
: 1
: CHF 9.40
:
: Biographien, Autobiographien
: English
: 216
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
Called to Nursing-A journey is a book about personal encounters by a retired nurse, Thembinkosi Hermina Nxumalo where she shares life experiences as a nurse before the South African democratic government in 1994 and after the transition to the new dispensation. She shares valuable life experiences as a nurse at the time and also the strong friendships that were established with different people from different countries that walked into her life in those days. Her exciting personal life experiences are also shared through recalling her special moments, such as the birth of her beautiful children. This book is also ideal for motivating anyone who aspires to be a nurse because it explains how rewarding and fulfilling a profession it is when you have been called to nursing. It is has been written with such fond memories and humour, which makes it difficult for any avid reader to stop reading until the very end. Some of the special moments of the author were captured in photographs which have been included in this edition as she relived the moment.
Chapter Two
THE ESSENCE OF NURSING
Nursing practice in South Africa is regulated by a statutory body, the South African Nursing Council, and it prescribes the scope of practice for each category of nursing.
The essence of nursing is guided by the following principles which should be applied to all patients:
Hospitality is defined as a friendly, generous reception and entertainment of guests or strangers. The word comes from the word “hospital”, which is described as an institution of medical and surgical treatment or care of the affected. The operative word here is being hospitable, which refers to a friendly reception, and being warm and approachable. That is what every patient should experience.
One’s disposition should be friendly and approachable. Our patients expect that of nurses, doctors and paramedics.
Caring is showing concern and interest in the patient. One needs to get to know the patient quickly, scan the file and have an overview of the patient’s profile and background. Patients can feel if the nurse cares about them or not.
The safety of the patient is important regardless of their age, but more so for children and very ill patients. Be sure that patients are not exposed to any danger, including that of getting infected during their stay in hospital. One should ensure safety without being judgemental, e.g. at Baragwanath Hospital we used to admit gangsters and had to protect them from their opponents who wanted to finish them off, so to speak. We did the same for opposing factions in KwaZulu Natal.
Listening to the patient is very important and will assist you as the nurse in sourcing the required information which will help you understand the patient’s problems and how they are feeling. This is especially important when you interpret for a doctor who does not understand the patient’s language. The patients may tell a long story which may not be relevant to the doctor’s question, but you need to put it as the patient says. There is a temptation to select what you think the doctor needs to hear. Quite often, African patients will tell a long story about how they became ill. If you select information that you think is relevant to the doctor’s question, the doctor will also complain that the patient has relayed a long story yet you are giving a short sentence. You need to give the version of the story as relayed by the patient, even though it is time consuming but it is necessary.
Observation is an important principle to follow. There are observations that are part of the care of the patient, like temperature, pulse and respiration. One needs to observe and monitor the progress of the patien