Just home from a 10 day stay in Hospital and glad to be here.
I was housed in a semi-like ICU where patients were on top of each other and staff ratios were roughly one to one - one nurse for each patient.
From my perspective, that number was at least twice what it should have been - i.e. one staffer for per 2 patients would have been more than sufficient. But it did allow for some interesting insights: staff spent most of their time chatting to each other followed closely glued to their cell phones. The remaining time - not much - was devoted reluctantly to patient care.
Not surprisingly then, most of the staff had worked there for years. They know a good thing when they have it.
And my next door neighbour, like me, was bedded directly in front of the nurses' station. He made no attempt to hide the fact that he was tuned in completely to their discussions and in fact on numerous occasions he joyfully told them he was doing just that. They just smiled. He was also overheard saying several times that their discussions were better than watching t.v..
I think he somewhat overstated that since I personally did not find it so spell-binding but I did find it interesting none-the-less. Their discussions mirrored life in general: a group of young nurses - for the most part female - were centred on their partners, boy-friends and where applicable, their children. Sometimes they discussed issues related to us patients but that was done in the exception and little attempt was made to keep things secret. In essence though, they were projecting their hopes and dreams for the future as we, who were once young, did too. It was heartening to hear and in the case of my roomie - apparently gripping.
I noticed early on that their discussions seldom if ever dealt with current events or domestic or world politics. I tested this with many individually and it became evident that they had little or no interest in these subjects as our older generation most certainly does.
Is this a good thing or bad? I do not know and leave it to you to decide given your own circumstances.
Anyway, it was a long 10 day stay for me which I hope and pray does not happen again too soon or for that matter ever. It may though generate some further blogs.
We'll see....
As I See It...
'K.D. Bell'
