Stella Dimoko Korkus.com: Emergency Room Series: When The Nurse Becomes The Patient

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Monday, January 22, 2018

Emergency Room Series: When The Nurse Becomes The Patient

If you are a constant reader of this series, you'll notice I was MIA for about a week. I caught a chest infection from a patient who had a contagious cough.





I had thought it was a minor cough but it became worse that i had persistent fever and my voice was affected, I sounded like a broken tape when I talked. Luckily for me, I was able to get some tests done and know the problem on time. I had to take some time off work to rest well and use the ton of drugs I was given (i hate drugs, lol). I'm very well now and back to doing what I love to do best, emergency nursing!


I'll also like to talk about a post or argument going round social media. You may have heard of it, about a female Nigerian doctor who didn't like the idea of being referred to as a nurse. To be honest, I wasn't surprised by the responses and attacks she got, most especially from nurses. I don't know what her exact intentions were but I see the post in two ways.


First, its either she meant she was being profiled because of her female gender(which in the medical profession is usually seen as lesser and unequal to males) or secondly, because she was actually not okay with the fact that she was being called a nurse, that is, she sees the nursing profession as less important or even both.


I laugh when people actually think there's a beef between doctors and nurses. I think they're just ignorant. We work as a team. We are as equally important as the doctors. There are a lot of misconceptions about nursing in the society. I don't blame people who hold on to these misconceptions because they must have had some sort of past experiences for them to say that. 


In every profession, there are wolves among the sheep. There will always be people who give the nursing profession a bad name. But I'm glad to tell you that era is fading.

People think all nurses do is to listen and do what the doctors say. That's totally false. Let me try to correct your notion.


I don't know much about other units in the hospital but in the ER, we work as a team. When a doctor wants something done, its my duty to know the rationale behind it and if its best for my patient. Whenever a drug is prescribed for a patient under my care, I question it to know the reason why (if I don't see the reason myself) , I don't just give the drug because if anything goes wrong , I'll be the one whose license would be terminated.


 You know why? Because we must always crosscheck everything done by the doctors to avoid errors. If i feel a drug dose is too small or its a lot for a patient(depending on the age and weight), i tell him or her(the doctor) to correct it immediately. Its a standard responsibility. Doctors aren't gods as society thinks, they make errors, lots of it, but its the duty of the nurse to put them in check. It depends on the nurse's approach and like I said earlier there will always be wolves among the sheep.


 There will always be arrogant and insensitive nurses trying to use their acts to ruin the noble and beautiful profession.


For those who think nursing is so simple, you're wrong. You would know from my posts that I do a lot of work to ensure not just the survival of my patients but their safety as well. Nurses work as part of a team with physicians, other nurses and healthcare professionals to provide care, monitor health conditions, plan long-term care needs, administer medicine, use medical equipment, perform minor medical operations, and advise patients and their families on illness, care and continued care. 



Its also my duty to help translate complicated medical jargon from a doctor regarding diagnosis and treatment into understandable layman’s terms for patients and their families. Upon discharge, I may be called on again to educate a patient and their family about further care and treatment, i.e. how to dress a wound. Its a lot of work!



Well, I don't see a problem with what the female doctor said on Twitter, she must have had her reasons. Sometimes, if not most times, I'm being referred to as a doctor, but I politely correct the person. I am a nurse and proud of it.
The problem still remains the perception of the society and the bad nurses spoiling the image of the profession, especially in this part of the world. The public believes elderly matrons are evil and mean. I know its worse in General and Government Hospitals where there is a huge work load on the nurses, few resources, and short staff. It would make anyone easily irritable and frustrated but its still not an excuse for nurses to treat patients badly. 


If you are a nurse reading this, please continue to work hard and do what is right. Do not be distracted.
And as for the general public and the female doctor, you should change your mindset. Thank you


*Thank God you are OK now...

48 comments:

  1. How come this particular Nurse speaks and write English very well???? This has to be Nurse extraodinaire!!!

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    1. You just insulted the entirety of nurses in the country. You mean nurses don't speak or write well? You need reorientation. Maybe the ones you have been in contact with but for you to generalise? Smh. Meanwhile I have always thought all professions are as important as any you can think of. None is above the other in my thinking and the sooner we realize that, the better for all of us.

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  2. Thank God you are ok. Keep up with the good job. God will bless you above all you could think of.

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    1. All the analysis you gave up there are all lies!!! Your only job is to check for vital signs and BMI's. Stop promoting yourself. You guys are not even allowed to set common line... it's done by doctors. How much more to question prescriptions. Nurses are simply errand boys/girls to doctors.
      P.s... I work in one of the biggest hospitals in Abuja. So shut up and be humble.

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    2. Don't mind this sis nurse,nurse wey dey explain doctor's jargon,dohh you hear.keep hyping yourself.monkey yato si chimpanzee,a doctor's qualification is far different from a nurse training.you see all these things you keep talking about in your post like checking vital signs,setting a line,putting patients on iv's etc are things even auxiliary nurses learn on the job.Doctors own the wards,nurses run errands on the wards.just be proud of your nursing profession

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    3. You must be very dumb to say Nurses only check for vital signs and BMI. Am not a Nurse but I know they do far more than that.

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    4. Anon 17:37
      It's so obvious you are dumber.
      Nurses don't do shit!

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    5. It's true, d hospital I use, nurses don't set IV line, they only give injections, tablet, take vital signs, n escort d consultant on ward rounds.

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    6. Anon18:32 who stole your meat? Who cheated on you? Lol, like your opinion counts!

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    7. See them. Nigeria's problems. The doctors or whoever should take the vital signs, check BMI and escort the consultants for ward rounds. I bet if your mother's were nurses you would have different opinions of nurses. I am no where near the nursing profession but I just hate to see people rubbish what others do.

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    8. Who says doctors run wards ? Liar. Wards are run by nurse. Go to UNTH and see where nurses bar doctors from entering their wards if they are not OK with their treatments.

      Nurses stand a lot and are likely to suffer sclerosis at later age.

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  3. U try jare..times unnumbered I tell people that, Nurses are as relevant and important as Doctors. They work together lik bread and butter.Doctors can't do all, they need nurses as back-up. Can a 📱 work Without a 🔋?



    Mc pinky

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  4. I have just one question. Do nurses earn as high as doctors? Madam poster please answer this question yourself.

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    1. They can earn even faaar more if the nurse is versatile. The point of view your coming from is very blank

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    2. In naija, doctors earn more than nurses... For the lady on twitter, she is right.. Some patient mistakes female docs as nurse..

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    3. Poster anon 15.10 take it easy ok,which kain nurse earn far more than a doctor?anyways it only fools that will believe this nonsense

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    4. Please help me ask, imagine the things she says nurses do, pls abeg don't even compare nurses to doctors awwww madam fear God oh

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    5. You guys can argue all you want. All I know is I understand this nurse's point. They all need each other. They all work very hard. No need to look down at anyone

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  5. Welcome back emergency nurse.

    I hate drugs too. And injection is the worst.lol

    No matter the misconception, Nurses and doctors are life savers. Case closed. 😍

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  6. Welcome back. Thank God you are fine now. So nurse sef dey hate drugs?

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  7. Welcome back mama nurse. We still don't know if you be man or woman sef If you're a lady, your man is very lucky. You are different.

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  8. @curious cat read and comprehend! Olodo!!! She never said they are equal to doctors. She said they work hand in hand. Symbiotic relationship, one cannot do without the other.

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  9. Welcome back
    Hope u are better??
    But why is it that most nurses are wicked??? They talk to people anyhow..

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  10. Thank God you are better now. Thats a whole lot you stated about a nurse's duty. Well sorry to say this but nurses I
    I know are not sympathetic to one's plight, they are demi gods. But you seem to be nice. Pls educate your colleagues at every chance you get.
    Thanks for the good work

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  11. Well madam/Oga Nurse, I don't see anything wrong in her complaining they refer to her as a nurse instead of the doctor,even after correcting they still ask for the main doctor(which they think or definitely would be male),she is just pointing out what she faces in her career as a female-doctor,she didn't go to medical school to be called s nurse na!(most people out of ignorance think all nurses are female, plus there is this superiority war btw doctors,Pharmacist,medlab-scientists & Nurses,its not a new thing). That is not to say being a nurse is something less/bad.
    Finally like you said you all do work as a team, one can barely function without the other.my oppinion

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  12. Bia, where you dey work. I need this kind of standard care you provide in my life abeg biko. Loool

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  13. Thank God you are better now. I don’t think that doctor was writing from a place of Doctors are better than Nurses , probably just frustrated at the mindset of male has to be a doctor and female a nurse!

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  14. I don't really agree with that drug duty stuff, I believe that's the duty of a pharmacist. Everyone should be proud of their profession. In the healthcare team, the patient's health should be paramount. I don't understand the supposed war that is ongoing.

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  15. I'm a pharmacy student and we learn with the nursing students, they're truly underestimated.

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    1. Well...you only learnt anatomy,physiology and probably biochemistry with them and you might be in 200level that is the reason you sound like this....but Nurses are great people!

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  16. The nurse writing I wonder the hospital where you work that you do all you said because most of the hospitals in Nigeria it isn't so. Yes it's true that all health professionals are important but A Doctor is still a doctor and not a nurse whether she is female or not.

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    1. Remember the nurse is an EMERGENCY NURSE. She's talking from the perspective of an ER nurse. the ER unit is an absolutely different place and the nurses there do more work as she has stated. If you watch grey anatomy and the likes you'll know.what I mean. I won't be surprised if she works in Nigeria too. Don't compare the accident and Emergency unit staffs to nurses and doctors rotating on the wards. ER staffs have specialized qualifications to work there. She's just talking from her own angle. Other units don't do that much

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  17. You are very smart but still you dont know what is happening in Nigeria if you think there isnt a power tussle between Doctors and Nurses and Lab scientists and Doctors. anyways that is besides the point. The female doctor made a legitimate complaint. I've been referred to as a Nurse Majority of the time, even after correcting the patient, the next sentence is still "Nurse...... or they see me and judge me with my made up face that i know nothing lol for those patients I dont argue when they request to see the next doctor i gladly usher them. We are not saying Nurses are below doctors; I have learnt a lot of things from nurses; i learnt how to suture an episiotomy from a nurse. My point is accord me my due, I spent 7yrs in medical school and my study is still ongoing so please call me Doctor; I've worked hard for it and i deserve to be addressed as such. The truth is Nurses are viewed as lesser because this is a patriarchial society, most male nurses get laughed at and they are told Nursing is for women and this reasoning is ingrained in a lot of people whether we are aware or not that is why the average patient sees a female doctor and sees a Nurse because females arent supposed to aspire to be a Doctor and Male Nurses shouldnt aspire to be Nurses but Doctors. I hate epistles but Nigeria Na WA and Our health sector is a big WA even with all our endeavors; poor pay, no equipment,no jobs, poor working conditions, uncooperative co workers, Nigerian citizens that are quick to blame us and call us quacks at every opportunity we are still able to carry out our duties. May God bless the team as we continue in diligence; our reward is on earth and in heaven. Amen.

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  18. Then we dont need doctor again if nurses do all these

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  19. Nurses are life savers too, but you exergerated your duties.

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    1. No exaggeration here. Google duties of nurses and you'll be thrown away.

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  20. bv the lifted, enlightenment fall on you! The rancor between doctors and other health professionals isn't about superiority but freedom to exercise authority as a professional. The hospital should NEVER be run like a master and slave establishment

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  21. When you leave the shores of third world countries and live in ist world country that you will truly appreciate all the professionals in health care. Everybody is in their own lane. Nurses are important in health care. The higher education you get, the more specialised you will be. There are nurse practioners that also treat patients.

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    1. God bless you der for the clarification, Am proud to be a nurse till tomorrow

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    2. God bless you der for the clarification, Am proud to be a nurse till tomorrow

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