No pain no gain, No guts no glory

They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence… with this in mind I was determined like many others to finish a degree that would be my passport to greener pastures- nursing.

I already had another degree to my name but this did not seem enough to make me realize my dreams and ambitions so that when I finally became a full pledged nurse I was filled with pride and anticipation. Ironically my first job overseas was not that of a nurse but just the same I was glad that eventually I joined the thousands of nurses who left my beloved country to seek a better future overseas.

So here I am… lucky to have been given the chance to work in the UK. Glad to have my family settled and grateful that my children have been given that opportunity for a brighter future. Not quite well stable financially but who cares what is important is that I am a nurse and I have a job…at least the bills are paid for. It was not an easy road but then they say no guts no glory.

Who said being a nurse was easy though…have you ever ask yourself what really matters most…dedication and commitment or financial gain? I often hear these statements from my colleagues at work and I do sometimes say them myself.
Cliché no.1 “I’ve had enough”. Cliché no.2. I wish I could win the lottery (no chance if like me you do not want to waste at least £ 3.50 a week for a lottery ticket on a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday…not to mention those scratch cards. Theory says that the probability of your winning the lottery is 1 in 40 million as compared to 1 in 2 million of dying in an air crash. Don’t let me despair you though, go ahead and bet on the lottery you might be that 1 in 40 million.)

So why the use of these cliché … well that just shows that many of us are feeling the frustrations of working so hard and feel that sometimes we are not reaping the rewards and the benefits which we think we deserve…or the appreciation from the people we care for and serve- our patients, our colleagues our managers, or the establishments we work for. Have you sometimes felt that you are stuck in a dead end job…that our duty to care for our patients has now turned into a routine…gone are the days when we could sit down and hold our patients hand and simply reassure them with a gentle touch. Now we sometimes hardly stop to talk to our patients unless we have to…why because there is a lot more to be done,documents to complete…nursing on the ward (at least on mine)has now turned into a catching up game…they say nursing is supposed to be 24 hour care and yet when things are not done on your shift, the incoming shift are not exactly that impressed either. And yet worst is still to come as the staffing levels decreases but the work load remains the same, nurses leave because they no longer feel that it is safe working on the ward. Morale is low because staff do not get appreciated for a job well done ( it is assumed and expected irregardless of the circumstances) but gets reprimanded for fluid balances not properly filled in… the health system now appears to be more of a legal and political ground- they say there are targets to be met, quality monitoring programmes to pass…it is a no win case-you have to abide by the system even if you sometimes feel otherwise, because you need the job...forget about the sentiments of Florence Nightingale … we nurses sometimes feel that we are being pushed to the limits…you are not allowed to moan because it was your choice in the first place to be in this profession…so unless you do not mind compromising your patients safety or if you have a hefty bank account stashed elsewhere, we are here to stay out of dedication and commitment more than that of any financial gain.


I suppose any job has its highs and lows,all jobs have their tedious moments, it is how we deal with it that matters. So how do I psyche myself up to carry on in times of frustrations at work ? ... the rule of equivalent exchange ... no pain no gain. I think of the good things and try to ignore the bad …although it is easier said than done. I remind myself of the reason why I came to work overseas-greener pastures… I simply try to convince myself that there are millions out there who would love to be in my shoe and that I am lucky to have a job and a steady source of income to feed my family and spend on the little luxuries in life…I and better still I convince myself that nursing can be very rewarding especially if you see a smile from your demented patient who appears to recognize you as someone she could trust….or a sincere thank you from a patient whom you have nursed to recovery…these are feelings that makes you want to carry on being a nurse. Lastly what better way than to just blog it out thanks to this site… you can do it too… Not everyone will sympathize with your whinges but somehow maybe there is someone out there who could relate to your experience and feel that he or she is not alone.