A Local TV Host Labelling #lazynurses for not performing sponge bath

On Facebook, Saturday, a local TV Host from a regular morning show labelled nurses as lazy after being ignored during their hospital stay and claimed that it is not their responsibility to perform sponge bath.

We kept getting passed back and forth. Pagka wai Batasan gyud. Kami pa gyud ang ipa sponge bath to bring the fever down. #thumbsup #lazynurses

It then turned into a long thread with similar comments:

#PRC wake up! Look at these lazy and unuseful people in the hospital!

All the good nurses left the Philippines na! I don’t know why the country is encouraging people to leave the country and kita mismo have to suffer with crappy so called professionals leftovers here. Ang mga doctor pud nga maayo kai nag nurse na para maka adto sa gawas! WTF!

#lazynurses

#lazynurses

In my opinion

Indeed, a few nurses may somehow fit in the particular category but they are of only a minority (not mentioning her situation in which she may have only confronted 2 or 3 nurses) and therefore, making quick generalizations is never the solution.

Unfortunately, it is also difficult to get a person understand what a nurse goes through in the run of 8-12 hours shift especially when she can’t even justify and perform a sponge bath. As from the situation, she ended up ranting.

Who Should Be Blamed?

Nurses have been suffering a nursing shortage (not pertaining to the number of nurses in the country but rather the number of nurses employed in a particular hospital) for many years and as humans, getting burnt out is just part of the natural process.

Also, in response to the crappy so called professionals leftovers and encouraging people to leave the country, why shouldn’t we, when we are exactly aware of our skills and abilities as nurses to be just neglected and forever remain as unemployed.

One last reminder, we are professionals and not PAs to feed your personal gratifications. We have this so called, “delegation of tasks” to significant others or watchers who are able to perform it, which is the best way to promote independence and continuity of care. If it happens that you are an incapable watcher then, we’re willing enough to demonstrate it again for you step by step. It’s all about asking.

What do you think about #lazynurses?

Here’s the original status.