First Week

Yesterday was the first shift I've really enjoyed on my new ward. One of the newly qualified nurses took me under her wing. I got a chance to bond with my mentor. It was good.

The icing on the cake was a ....discussion I had with the son of a patient. His mother was in a two person bay with another lady. This bay was directly opposite our isolation rooms(rooms for patients with conditions that require barrier nursing). He saw myself and an HCA running in and out of an isolation room, every time we changed our gloves and aprons(as per infection control policy). He approached me and suggested that this is where all the NHS money gets wasted, if we didnt use to many gloves and aprons his mother could be afforded her own private room. I pointed out to him that if i didnt use the gloves and aprons and then went to his mother she would indeed have a private room because she'd catch C. Diff or MRSA. This seems to turn his anger into embarrasment but he still rufused to be wrong and as he walked back into his mothers bay he uttered 'right, well just watch how much you waste'. It was a good moment.

Its public misconceptions like this that really annoy me. Mainly becuase they are fuelled almost entirely by the media. I intend to explore this in more detail at some other time.

For now I'm sat at home, its a nice day outside. I'm enjoying a day where I dont have to be my 'professional self'. This means I can swear, drink, laugh heartily, run about, and just be me. Its nice.