I have been listening to the CNN senate hearing on the CDC and Texas Hospital re: the Ebola epidemic. I am confused,frustrated, a bit angry, perhaps very angry. I am a nurse. I was trained at a major NYC hospital and have aseptic conscience. I am so sure that Nurse Pham and Nurse Vinson also have this and did nothing to risk their lives while caring for Mr. Duncan. They were working with what was available and what was told to them was the proper protocol. It seems that there was no protocol and the Texas hospital was essentially winging it...allowing these professional caregivers to risk their lives to care for Mr. Duncan with what was available rather than what was the right thing to wear. They were put in harms way. They went in and did their job. It was not an easy job or a dainty job. It was hard core nursing under pressure to make their patient feel better and to keep hime clean and dry. We nurses have all had to clean up a patient after the release of bodily functions. It comes with the territory. This was a universal precautions event in the end. Nurses do their job. They carry out orders from their superiors. Doctors and supervisors tell them what to do and how they should do it. They did. I went to Africa last year, southern Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Capetown. It was glorious. A luxury experience in a beautiful Continent with beautiful local people taking excellent care of us. They went home at night to their small villages off of the main roads. Thatched cottages. Outdoor kitchens. Some refrigeration. Low wages. It was told to me that each employed worker was, on average, supporting 24 people in their family. 24 people depending on these gracious, cheerful, beautiful, nurturing, smart, giving people. This was not West Africa. Unfortunately most of the people in southern Africa have friends and families in the west. The trains were packed with families on the one weekend day some people had off, on their way to visit family with goods and part of their wages to help them. They could not bring clean water, a nice home, good food, good clothes, a big bag of toys and games for the children. Their was love and giving. I beg the CDC and the Infectious Disease specialists to get the proper protective clothing, like the ones the dignitaries wear when they visit West Afric!!! Doctors, we are your hand maidens. You have and will always need nurses to carry out the tasks you are not trained to do nor can do because you have tests to read and procedures to perform. Nurses will clean up the waste, the vomit, change the bed, start the I.V.s, bathe their patients, soothe their discomfort, say words of encouragement as they perform their loving and oh so important tasks. Please, protect them in Africa, America and the world. Nurses do not want to walk away from their job. They love what they do, at least most of them still cherish their profession and do it out of compassion besides providing for their own families.Help. Speak up. Donate. Network. Move mountains to get what is needed to protect all of the healthcare workers whose lives are in jeopardy until they are properly protected. You can do it and should do it. Thank you for your reading of this overly long diatribe. I am a bit unnerved by the fears of being a nurse, doctor, technician, nurses aide, ambulance driver, EMT, lab personnel, medical waste transporters, etc. The list goes on. Thanks and good luck. Be careful Godspeed
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 23:41:23 +0000
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