| Anaesthetics |
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WHAT MAKES AN ANAESTHETIC NURSE SO SPECIAL? This question has been asked many times during an anaesthetic nurse’s career. By the inquisitive nursing students, the Graduate nurse trying to understand the role and even nursing colleagues who have said, , ‘I thought you would be more suited to real nursing with more patient contact, not just someone helping an anaesthetist by passing a tube!’ Ignorance can be bliss. So what is it that is so different about this type of nursing? Can we call it nursing? This is a statement that is often verbalised, usually by those who have never actually practised in the role. Who has not seen the terrified look in the patient’s eyes as they drift off under the effects of anaesthesia, or felt the hand reaching out to be held, or the mother who reluctantly gives over the care of her child to the anaesthetic nurse? Or the anxious expectant mother who looks to the anaesthetic nurse for reassurance while trying to sit so still while she has an epidural or spinal inserted, while all around there is the clanging of surgical instruments and staff rushing around in their official scary looking scrubs. Not to mention the paediatric patients who without the caring approach of the anaesthetic nurse can be affected for any future surgical experiences. Or the cancer patient whose anxiety can only be imagined by those few that have not been affected in some way or form by this disease and not knowing how they will ever view life the same again. These are just a few of the patients that the anaesthetic nurse will come in contact with and reassure through their role as an anaesthetic nurse. To any anaesthetic nurse this is a very important role. It is one where as an anaesthetic nurse, you can make all the difference to a patient’s journey in the often foreign, sterile and frightening voyage through an Operating Theatre. It is the greatest opportunity for a nurse to practice the balance between the humanistic and caring nature of nursing with the practical knowledge of anatomy, physiology, technology, pharmacology and psychology whilst at the same time is prepared for anything the anaesthetist may require to facilitate a smooth anaesthetic. It is one of only a few nursing roles where you work alongside in a close partnership with another member of the healthcare team, the Anaesthetist to provide the best and safest outcome for the perioperative patient. The anaesthetic nurse is the humanistic touch to a very non-touch surgical environment, where a patient feels total vulnerable and at the mercy of those around them looking at the anaesthetic nurse to advocate for them. This is where the role of the anaesthetic nurse can be of the utmost importance. To be focused on the patient, keyed into their emotions and yet still being able to pre-empt anything your anaesthetist requires to facilitate a smooth anaesthesia. The anaesthetic nurse is a very important member of the perioperative team. Relying on each other to communicate and work together for the best surgical outcome for the patient. Whether it is a planned elective case or a dire emergency where all the odds are stacked against the case, it is a role where an anaesthetic nurse truly makes a difference. So in answer to the question, ‘What makes an Anaesthetic Nurse so special’, its being an anaesthetic nurse and all it entails that is what makes an anaesthetic nurse so special. |
The Birthing Kit Foundation – donations for birthing kit purchases
In Quentin Bryce’s words “There is no greater gift than the best possible start in life, and this lifesaving initiative is helping reduce infections in mother and baby at childbirth.”
To be a part of the solution to stop women and babies dying from infections in childbirth visit our website to see how a simple clean birthing kit “costing less than a cup of coffee” is saving lives.
For further information or to make a donation, please visit www.birthingkitfoundation.org.au
In Quentin Bryce’s words “There is no greater gift than the best possible start in life, and this lifesaving initiative is helping reduce infections in mother and baby at childbirth.”
To be a part of the solution to stop women and babies dying from infections in childbirth visit our website to see how a simple clean birthing kit “costing less than a cup of coffee” is saving lives.
For further information or to make a donation, please visit www.birthingkitfoundation.org.au