On the Other Side

Categories: swansea

Date: 17 March 2007 18:03:44

As I've hinted at in previous posts, I have recently undergone a reasonable amount of health care treatment and it has led me to think considerably about being a nurse (well, almost) having treatment.

It's definitely odd being on the other side. Usually within a hospital setting I feel reasonably relaxed and confident, within the boundaries of being a student nurse. But whenever I go in for an appointment I feel nervous and tense. The hospital becomes a scary place, instead of my work place. The odd thing is, as a patient I understand completely how the nurse feels, especially if it's a student nurse. And now when I'm in work, I have greater understanding and empathy of how the patient feels.

As a nurse, I am constantly surrounded by information, resources and knowledge about my health problem. As one friend put it, 'you know too much'. I'll go to the library to find books on management and find myself picking books off the shelves relating to my problems. My current placement is literally just down the corridor from where I've been having some treatment. In fact, my placement used to deal with the children having similar treatments, so there are relevant books on the ward and the nurses I work with, know my doctors. I go to my supervisor to explain the issue, and she (having specialised in this area) asks lots of medical questions and can fill in the gaps the doctors left.

In some ways, having this expanse of knowledge at my fingertips has reassured me. Most of the information I've read has been positive and has reassured me that the doctor was actually right! But there has been the occasional sentence that's made me go 'eek!' slightly. I have been careful about what sources I read - I've resisted the temptation to google the medical terminology as I've had to reassure too many parents who have read some random internet site. But its difficult not to seek information, when its all just there. Its hard to know what to do for the best.