'Toughest Place to be a Nurse' BBC2

This is just a short entry in response to the programme ‘Toughest Place to be a Nurse’ shown on BBC2 tonight. Apologies if it doesn't make much sense in places, as it is late I am merely "jotting down" the thoughts in my head at this precise moment, and am pretty much writing this off the top of my head as I go along. Here it goes...

Watching this programme really hit it home to me how incredibly lucky we are here. It showed just how extremely limited they are in Mexico, especially in terms of medical equipment and the budgets they have. It showed how much medical staff have to cope with, and that despite helping people, their lives are just as much at risk on a daily basis. It was emphasised that to work as a doctor or nurse, you were deemed wealthy and therefore at risk of kidnap. It was remarkable how these people could go to work each day with a smile on their face. It also shocked me when they started talking about men armed with guns entering the hospital; yet medical staff would carry on working after such an incident… amazing!

I was in awe of the male nurse who worked the night shifts. It surprised me when he talked about changing the route to work every day in fear of being recognised and kidnapped. It amazed me how much he has to go through on a daily basis, not only fearing his safety at work, but also having a family who he worries for constantly… to have to go through all of that and still go to work with a smile on his face, and return home to a happy family life, it’s unbelievable!

After seeing this programme it really put things into perspective. It highlights just how lucky we are to live in a society where we can pretty much go through our day to day lives without enduring such violence that some cultures consider to be the norm. Also, it makes you appreciate even more the excellent healthcare we receive, and the advanced medical technology we have. Nurses over there go to work fearing their safety on a daily basis, some nurses here go to work and their main concern is how much they’re getting paid. It really annoys me how some people can criticize our NHS… be grateful that we have such a thing! Be grateful you live in a decent society! Be grateful you have a decent paid job! I’ve always said that when I become a nurse I will vow never to get caught up in political squabbles such as pay, I will be grateful to have a job, to be doing something I love and to be able to get paid to do it. Sure life may get a bit difficult, finances may get a bit stretched, but hey, life isn’t perfect. You may think I’m being naïve... well, think what you will, but I’m not going to get into the whole pay dispute… ever! There are many people in this world who are worse off, who am I to complain!?

If you watched this programme and have thoughts on it, I'd love to hear what you think, please comment!

Ok… rant over. Good night!  =)