What our Nurses do and why they are worth more than 1%

Because patients need 24-hour care, hospital nurses often work nights, weekends, and holidays. Office nurses are more likely to work regular hours. Many nurses work part time.

Nurses strip beds, wash and clean bedpans and make beds. They know how to successfully toilet both male and female patients. They bathe patients and massage hurt limbs and muscles. Nurses clean and dress wounds, deliver babies and administer injections.

Nurses give emotional support to patients and their families. They watch for signs that people are sick. Some nurses help to give tests to find out why people are sick, do lab work and get test results. Nurses administer emergency treatment in ambulance & assist doctors in surgery, suturing and handling bleeding. They also handle major trauma including burns.

Nurses keep the medical-surgical wards, intensive-care and any psychiatric inpatient beds open and running. They answer the phones and deal with the public 24/7. They run errands for patients and doctors and other nurses.

They ensure the morgue and bodies contained within are admitted, cleaned and cared for with respect.

Many nurses spend a lot of time walking and standing. Nurses also need to be careful in order to stay safe- they care for people who have diseases that they can catch too & nurses can get hurt while helping to move patients. Nurses also need to guard against radiation from x-rays and chemicals in medicine.

Nurses teach people how to take care of themselves and their families talking about diet and exercise and how to follow doctors' instructions. Some nurses run clinics and immunization centers.

I believe Nurses are poorly paid for the job that they do and perhaps what should be most worrying of all, almost all the nurses I know have seriously considered leaving their posts; the reasons for this being poor pay, poor working conditions and increased work pressure. The opportunities for Nurses in Australia and NZ are great and I know of at least 14 nurses that have left Fiji for these opportunities in the last couple of years.

Although most of my nurse friends say that nursing remains a vocational job and that nurses do not enter the profession for the salary, it is unquestionable that nursing remains a highly committed job with nursing staff implementing high levels of care delivery, and that many remain committed to their jobs. Indeed, many stay because of their commitment. However the loaf of bread at the sitoa remains the same price irrespective of the job that you do, as does the mortgage payment, so to say that pay is not a driving factor for all workers is somewhat missing the point.

It is important to also note that nursing is becoming an ageing profession. I wonder what percentage of our very experienced nurses are due to retire over the next 10 years.

To ensure that nursing becomes a career of choice, with the ability to retain and develop nursing staff, but also to ensure that it is a career that can attract new recruits, the message that is sent out by any administration has to be one that is looking to look after their workforce. The nurses and others had no role in this idiocy called BainiCoup so why is everyone else suffering ?

We must bring back our sense of normalcy, our due processes and honourable Union leaders who think of the workers and not of their personal political careers. A Government with warts is far better than one hiding behind the unwanted bully that is the dakai. The administration of the day must not only invest in the future of the service, but in the future of the staff who deliver that service. Nurses or Govt workers in other departments, please shout this message loud and proud at every opportunity .

Kuini's words today (F/T) : "We need moral and spiritual support from the public because Fiji needs nurses. We respect those who will not strike because of their faith but we believe in fighting for the same cause to benefit medical orderlies and nurses. Medical orderlies look after patients in Saint Giles and some of them are retiring on $9000 after 35 years of working so all we are asking the interim regime is to be fair. We are not here to be whipped every time there is a coup. Business communities, private sectors and churches should assist in partnerships with government to furnish and equip health centres and homes for the aged."

Hear hear Kuini - the the workers of Fiji deserve better than the BS the illegal government is giving us ! Go Kuini Go !