MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Abstract

My youngest, who has recently enrolled for a degree in medicine, commented the other  day, how life must be easier for nurses, unlike the doctors. She did not exactly wait for my response, but had she wanted one, I do not know if I could answer her immediately  with as much passion as I felt. There are too many experiences, too many emotions, too many catastrophic events that a nurse goes through, to single out any one to form a basis for such an answer.

I remember the days of struggling as a young novice to get used to the routine of random shift changes-change of bed time so many times in a week that it seemed impossible anybody co_uld ever adjust to that. But then discovered how fatigue can easily bring deep sleep, at any odd hour. Not to mention the understaffing, that seemed too unfair, as we never knew what a spare moment was.

There were always a number of luckier ones, who were leaving for a job in Saudi, 'Australia or some other Western countries, for a fatter pay package, which in tum meant, even more understa:ffing for us. Sometimes working two shifts at a stretch to fill in for someone else seemed part and parcel of the job, And if this overwhelming stress leads you to make a mistake, you have only yourself to blame, as the rest are anyways already blaming you.

The pressure sometimes just makes one self admire a little; admire the way you can take things at your stride. From the time you hit the wards you are on your own. If you feel you needed to be a little . better equipped, well, you are already too late and there are pretty much chances that you cannot approach your seniors even now. The tension of going wrong, the risk involved if gone wrong, especially on the medication part, sometimes can make the hands tremble. The fear that you might _have gone wrong makes you go al 1 weak kneed, and dry in the mouth, praying to Heavens that that must not be the case. It has all the nerve-wracking of an adventure, if not the fun.

The doctor's instructions are often too technical to grasp, you feel they expect you to know too much, they feel you should have known at least a little more, and last but not the least, they are the ones who can give you a piece of their mind if they feel like, whereas you are always more on the listening side.
When· it comes to the challenges of a nurse's life, the list just goes on. To quote Donna Wilk Cardillo, a nurse who is noted for her distinguished oratory skills, "Nursing is not for everyone. It takes a very strong, intelligent, and compassionate person to take on the ills of the world with passion and purpose and work t0 maintain the health and well-being of the planet. No wonder we're exhausted at the end of the day!"