MY LIFE EXPERIENCES AS A NURSE

  Dr. GEORGE CHERIAN, AN AWESOME GURU

                                     

                       It was a day in Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital. I was posted in CCU of Narayana Hrudayalaya, with some of my friends. I was in first year 1st year of my PG, used to look for new learning always. Narayana Hrudayalaya is just like IIT for nursing students, especially students who are doing MSc in Cardiothoracic nursing. I will say if you wanted to do MSc in cardiothoracic nursing Narayana Hrudayalaya is the place for you. I am always proud to become the part of that institution. And I always look forward for a life settled in Bangalore working in of Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital. 

A VIEW OF NARAYANA HRUDAYALAYA HEALTH CITY, Bangalore

Let me come to the topic. Me and my friend Maria posted in CCU, we used to have rounds there and learn self by going through patients. We helped staff too. I was really eager to learn X rays those days because I had a seminar to conduct up on chest X ray, and I was just like – it is not my cup of tea.... whenever I tried to learn X rays, it given me a look back like  WHO ARE U?.

 I started getting irritated because I can’t read X rays. One day I was standing near to a patient, he was a case of cardiac arrest with certain pulmonary complications, (I am not remembering the case clearly now).patient had some pulmonary infections, he was intubated. Dr George Cherian came to the CCU with his student. I liked him very much; he was one of the perfect doctors I have ever seen. He started taking his rounds, used to ask questions to the companion. I was afraid of questions as always (that’s why Viva’s always had a tragic end; I will come to those topics later).  He told the student doctor to explain the X ray, he did it. He patted on his shoulder and explained certain subtle details of it. I and Mrs. Maria Thomas were trying to get some knowledge which overflows Ha ha ha. He moved to one patient from another. We were following him thinking that we can also learn something by listening to him. Things like ECG and x ray were difficult for us because he started always teaching from a level above what we knew. I felt like he was noticing us and I told Mrs. Maria also to be aware not get in front of his eyes. Suddenly he turned to us and called me…Come here,

He was quiet simple and soft spoken so I felt comfortable to go near him.

What actually you are doing, both of you are students?

We said – yes, we are doing MSc nursing from Narayana

Oh, do you have any speciality?

Yes – we told

We are in cardiothoracic nursing speciality

Oh good. he said, He asked me if you wants to learn X ray he will teach you (he pointed the student doctor (DNB))

He was not happy but nodded his head, and explained the x ray to us.

When we started asking questions he got some interests to explain it. It was the first time I started seriously learning X rays.

Then I was learning X rays of different patients, I was going from one x ray to another. Those days I used to read the file for ½ an hour and 15 mints for x rays. Nurses looked at me, like they have seen an alien. Doctors saw me, who is this x ray nurse? Some of them were different they encouraged me and they were also wanted to discuss. Sister.Solly, she is a nurse intensivist in Narayana Hrudayalaya now, helped me a lot by inspiring me and learning by discussing with me. I was very lazy in writing care plans and daily diaries which is practised in nursing colleges. I found those are useless and unproductive.

After this incident I have so many experiences from that great doctor, whenever I see him I feel so happy and my mind fill with fear out of respect. He taught not only an x ray, but also how a real teacher should be. I never feel hesitated to tell anything to him because I feel connected when he is around there.

A teacher can be anybody who teaches something, but a guru is a person who really led to ultimate learning and inspires us holistically.

I consider him as my Guru not just a doctor. 

MY LIFE EXPERIENCES AS A NURSE

MY LIFE EXPERIENCES AS A NURSE

 SHORT TEMPERED DOCTOR

I am not a satisfied and happy nurse. I think if the job we do is not satisfactory it will not worth. Professional development starts when we feel starting satisfaction in our profession. There are certain moments in my life I want to share with my readers. 

 I have into the nursing from 2004(joined for BSc nursing). I have good and bad memories about my college life. We used to go to Jaya Arogya / hospital/ medical college for our clinical. We were posted in different departments.

My first posting was in the ortho (surgical) ward. I was so worried, don’t know what to do? Patients were crying, nurses were busy with their works, ward was a total mess. The ward in charge sister called me and asked for assisting with an external fixation care. It was a case of multiple open fractures in the leg., smell of blood and anti septic lotions, hydrogen peroxide and patient was crying with pain. I found difficult to even stand with the patient. I cleaned the wound so softly so that the patient will not cry, but I insisted to do it rigorously. Within a week I have started giving IV medications and IM. It was so fast I learned. I learned it not because I was curious or a quick learner, just because there was less nurses and students. I helped in charges in every kind of duties from cleaning to medication administration. I became familiar to the ward and patients. I got a positive energy to learn. I still remember one of the senior students from a college taught me how to administer IV injections; he was from Grantham College of Nursing Gwalior. Cancer college of nursing, is one of the finest institutions in Gwalior, their students were moon walkers, they never cared about others, looked like they are trying to become elite and so higher but actually they were not.

It was in a Monday, I got posted again in the same ward after few weeks. Me and my noble friend Prijo was helping the sister incharge in preparing IV medications. We were so busy that we couldn’t even notice doctors in ward. Doctor called some student for helping him in dressing a patient. Students who were in the ward escaped, because the doctor was really short tempered. He got angry because there was no body to help him; he did his work without any assistance. When he came in to the nurses’ station there were me and poor Prijo preparing IV medication. He got angry suddenly and shouted at us to get out of the ward. We were looking at each other, without knowing why he said it. While I was trying to explain to him he pushed prijo from the room. Patients were looking at us, like we caught of steeling something. I felt really embarrassed. I started arguing, and then he pulled my collar and pushed me away. I am a very thin person, I just flown in the air. We both were afraid and embarrassed, trying to get out of the ward found doctor screaming again behind, without thinking the after effects I shouted him back ( still don’t know whether he heard it or not) “shut up your bloody mouth”. I was so afraid to go to that ward again; luckily my posting was in another ward from next day. The sister in charge told me in the next postings, he did it without knowing don’t take it seriously. 

Still this memory hurts me, by thinking that he did it to us because we were nursing students. If we were not he may at least waited for a reason. Control over our temper is really important for a health care professional. When we shout at somebody it not only disturbs them but also the working environment. The kind of pain what we give to an innocent mind will not scar. It remains as a deep wound, unhealed and infected with the other incidence.