Dare to Care!

October 22, 2010 Filipino Nurses Community COMMENTARIES, Community, Nurse-Patient Relationships, TIPS 1

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Nurses are known for its caring attitude. When patients see a nurse in their elegantly white uniform, they expect to be cared of. That nurses have a cause for feeling concern towards the other people. But it made me think, when I was sitting in the nursing station, do really nurses care until now? Or gone are those days that nurse were anxious or solicitous to the needs of their patients. Are we here to care or just to have a better, bigger salary?

Honestly, working here in Saudi Arabia as a nurse in one of the private hospitals is quite difficult. A great challenge because you have to adjust with their Islamic Culture and beliefs. You have to learn their language so you can effectively communicate with the patients. Female nurses are not allowed to be with males, joke at them or even smile because it would create a risk, they would misinterpret it for “flirting” especially with the male patients.

So my question now is how you can care for your patient when you cannot even smile or comfort them when they are in pain. You cannot show interest or to have regards in their current situation of being hospitalized or ill because it would imposed a different meaning for them. Where is the nursing care plan, the pain and relaxation methods? The nursing techniques in delivering care for the discomfort patient? That’s why it made me think does nurses still care or just working or carrying the doctor’s order.

My challenge now for all nurses is that let’s continue to be sensitive to the needs of our patient, let’s not lose the caring attitude of a nurse no matter how difficult it is working in different countries or even in our own beloved country, the Philippines. Let’s show to the world that we are Filipino nurses, we dare to care!

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  • pinkee bellen

    my first job outside my country was also in the kingdom of saudi arabia. i was assigned in the male medical/surgical ward. i too, was cautioned on proper behaviors in the presence of the male patients as our cultures differ. there would be actions that may seem normal to our culture but to this breed would seem inappropriate.

    but this did not deter me from giving my brand of care the way we were raised and taught to be caring nurses. i went on applying the methods of nursing care to them with the help of my fellow but male nurses of another muslim country. i was ever-thankful of their able assistance and protection of me in executing my nursing skills towards my male patients.

    in the end i had a glorious stint with them for almost 5 years until i got transferred to the female medical/surgical ward. but i still prefer working with male patients as they are less complicated to deal with as compared to female ones… so i was brought back to them until i decided to end my contract to take care of my growing son back home.

    so as for me no culture difference would matter if we would know how to respect another culture and not do things that would offend or may be offensive to them. because care is care no matter what.