Sir, - I came into nursing as a mature student and work in a busy Dublin hospital, fulfilling an ambition I have always had. After only four years, I am weary and feel under-appreciated - not by the patients or relatives that I come into contact with, but by those who don't seem to understand what goes on behind the hospital doors to ensure that all are safely cared for.
It is clear to me that the reason for the present shortage of staff nurses is that there are few incentives to nurse. The salary just does not reflect the huge responsibility that nurses have to their patients and colleagues. The nurse is at the forefront of patient care; in charge of administering potentially lethal drugs, usually first on the scene to initiate resucitation procedures and closely monitoring seriously ill patients. It is the nurse who is responsible for detecting a deterioration in a patient's condition. It is the nurse who must ensure a person has the dignity they deserve when they die and must give support, time and understanding to grieving relatives.
This, I feel, is the Catch 22: poor pay and conditions means nurses leave for more lucrative positions, leading to a reduced number of nurses on the ward, leading to increased pressure and responsibility on those remaining, which in turn leads to more nurses leaving.
I realise that the work nurses do is not profitable in a monetary sense to anyone; but if the present situation continues it will be a loss to everyone. - Yours, etc., Alexia Grier, BA, RGN,
Ailesbury Road,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.