Well, let me introduce myself. I'm a newly qualified mental health nurse working in a residential/care home. I chose to move away from the area I used to live in due to there being very few jobs and wanting to start again. I currently live in my place of work in the top floor, so in theory and in practice, I can't escape work much.
I have started practicing and have been thrown in at the deep end. Within my first week, I am dispensing medication to over 25 clients who are all dependent. They almost all require spoons or other equipment. Many have covert needs. Needless to say I spend roughly 4-5 hours on medication every day (2-3 hours in the morning, and an hour respectively at lunch and at dinner). Here, the unit is understaffed, as is everywhere. I do not get the pleasure of building therapeutic relationships, as I simply do not have the time. I also feel deskilled with regards to my mental health training. The nursing here is very old school and sometimes I want to do more, but it takes time for things to change.
The nursing staff here are amazing. I can see low morale, and they are so kind to the patients. The time constraints are large and staff are continually under pressure to perform but with limited time in the day, it's often tough to meet our targets.
The carers are also amazing. They follow the routine of waking the clients, feeding, toileting, feeding, and the list goes on. The only meaningful time they get with the clients is at meal times or at the end of a twelve hour shift, waiting to go home.
In short, I want to change things, I want to work hard, but it is tough. So to those of you who say nursing is an easy job, this is a lie. When you don't have time to breathe, and to sit down and do the paperwork for an hour or two, it's tough. The ability to nurse well, in short is very, very difficult.
