Every hospital needs doctors and nurses. These numbers vary on the size of the hospital, and its level of operation. The number of nurses also varies with the procedures taking place in the hospital. For example, if there was an emergency due to an accident you may need all nurses available on ‘deck’ to cater to the casualties. If it is a surgical procedure, then the operating room will need one nurse for every one patient.

If it is a psychiatric hospital, then the numbers there go up because these patients need more care due to their mental health. For each nurse, there could be the up to six patients. While attending to emergencies, a nurse may cater to up to four patients. Some states in America have implemented a nurse to patient ratio. These states are Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Montana, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

States that have passed legislation on the compulsory nurse to patient ratio are California and Massachusetts. While California has gone a step further to implement those ratios. A nurse to patient ratio refers to the nurses on a particular floor, ward or unit to the number of checked in patients. The greater the anticipated care for example in the intensive care unit or high dependency unit, the lower the ratio.

In a high-quality healthcare facility, a 1.6 ratio is the normal ratio at a medical-surgical unit, and 1.2 in the intensive care unit. Patients need more experienced nurses to tend to them. There is no certain ideal nurse to patient ratio as if depends on the circumstances and healthcare facility but it is debatable that there is a standard nurse to patient ratio expected for quality. Instead, nurses are working longer to support their patients due to understaffing. If the numbers were increased, the nurses would provide better care and also take better care of themselves.

Nurses have previously complained of working shifts in a rush exhaustively tending to even ten patients at a time. The would feel worn out trying to diagnose patients and treat each one at a time. This results in small mistakes and missing cues for an illness which became more common as this happened frequently. Nurses were too stressed receiving very little sleep. Another area worth mentioning is the inflow of patients to nurses available. Restricting these numbers in a reasonable manner makes for happier well-tended to patients, by more relaxed nurses.

Based on surveys made, the nurses could spend an hour more with them and even get time to take a break in between shifts. Notably, their shifts remained the same. As a result, procedural mistakes declined, patient outcomes improved and fewer patients returned to the hospital due to post-treatment complications. It was a win for both patients and nurses. This law that took effect in 2014, in California which restricts the number of patients being treated at any given time has been beneficial to all parties affected.

However, to implement this change, first more nurses have to be hired to balance out the new change and ensure quality service. As per business, one must spend to get the profit back, and the same applies here. The cost is effective when it is done right. To have more nurses there needs to be more educated nurses, which leads to higher salaries and benefits so as to attract and keep more nurses. The average salary has risen well in some states, particularly California after the move by their former governor, television veteran Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The overall cost of the health care system has gone up but for their overall benefit as the rest of America, works to catch up on the work of the Californian state. This move will make both the nurses happier with an improved quality of life and well-treated patients.

Introduction

Working overtime has adverse effects on one’s health. This is general knowledge. Today in the workplace, the emphasis put on a work-life balance is very important and echoed repeatedly. But is it ever respected?

Does Working Overtime impact the quality of work?

Many employees still work overtime either to make more money or at the demand of their employer to the detriment of their health. It is no surprise factor that, in some societies, the pressure in the workplace is so high that often employees use self-medication and alcohol to manage stress. Making them addicts with both vices: drugs and alcohol. In some serious cases, the pressure and stress from a job have led several hundred to commit suicide. The numbers were highest in Japan.

This society is now forcing its employees to take leave and vacation days seriously. However, it is not all employers who are keen on managing stress among employees or looking out for their wellbeing. In a capitalist society, it is often every man for himself. Thus, the companies try and milk every resource they have, their employees included. Having identified the problem of overworking to poor health, especially with no additional benefits like bonus pay or medical insurance among others; employees get demoralized by their working conditions.

Opting to leave most of the time. In situations where they feel trapped due to circumstances, they tend to take on that stress alone. To detrimental or even fatal effects. This kind of situation affects every employed individual. All employees have the right to work benefits, a minimum wage and time off. Nurses are also affected. Since their work requires being on your feet most of the time and giving help not just physically but also emotionally, they need sufficient rest. To recharge and get back on their shift with enough energy and compassion to serve others.

Forcing nurses and doctors to work overtime is unfair. Given that they work in a delicate profession, their services are important necessary. More than that, working longer hours (irrespective of the money) can lead to workplace injuries. For a nurse, an injury means every day until she gets better, she will not be able to attend to someone ill or help save a life. Overtime hours qualifies as anything more than 12 hours consecutively. For nurses, working for 12 hours, three days in a row is not recommended and often leads to burn out.

In addition, working overtime regularly increases your chances of getting a chronic illness later in life. These are diseases such as arthritis, lung and heart disease (especially for industrial workers), in some cases cancer and diabetes as well. Thee health effects are cumulative in nature, and show up especially around retirement age, or as you get older. Therefore, working long hours for long periods of time is a part of your daily life, then your health is bound to suffer.

The problem with working overtime for longer periods of time off (as nurses like to do), means that your time off is spent catering to the adverse effects of overworking. Sometimes, it can mean no rest at all when your off days are packed with errands and no downtime. Psychologically, your mental health also suffers. Taking a few breaks to focus on your own wellbeing can lead to high levels of stress and depression. It correlates to your overall quality of work and performance.

Conclusion

Tired workers often make mistakes because of exhaustion. Nurses may confuse drugs being administered, or confuse patient histories, instructions given etc. Mistakes made in the hospital can be lethal. There is no ignoring one’s own health when it leads to adverse effects for another person. Therefore, the rest is to be taken as seriously as work. Our bodies need to recuperate after a day’s work. We need to refresh our minds and start the day with the kind of energy and attitude that makes a productive day.

Introduction

A midwife is a woman who is trained to assist women during childbirth. Midwives have been around since time immemorial. Whenever a child was born, there was someone to assist the mother. Typically, a woman but not exclusive to women only. Midwives are very important. They provide security to the mother, instill confidence and courage in her to deliver her newborn. Other than emotional security, they also secure the women especially in a more traditional setup, to stand in a manner that is safe enough for the baby to be delivered.

Is midwifery as a profession under-rated?

Today a midwife’s role has only gotten more complex, adding on more responsibilities through their sound care and experience. As a female midwife, they are able to relate and communicate with the new mother in a more intimate way. Their gender allows them to provide support for postpartum care, sexual health and reproductive health with deeper understanding. They inform mothers on what to expect after pregnancy and the changes they will experience as new mothers caring for a newborn. They also advise mothers on how to care for themselves after delivery and the changes to expect in their bodies.

Midwives do the legwork by making home visits and doing the regular check-ups at the mother’s convenience. During this time blood pressure is measured and any aches and pains are addressed. Questions surrounding childbirth, postpartum recovery and reproductive health is addressed. At this stage, it is important to note that midwives also have the opportunity to inform new mothers on baby’s vaccines because they do give advice on what steps they need to take to get their babies vaccinated. At baby clinics, nurses administer baby vaccines. By doing so, nurses and midwives support the new mothers and

baby by giving them this advice. When it comes to delivery, except in special cases and emergencies, midwives deliver the newborns. It can be done by them solely because they are trained to take on normal cases especially those who prefer to deliver naturally. By conducting natural birth deliveries successfully, they support doctors and other patients who need them urgently.

Doctors are called in for emergency c-sections, or when the patient prefers to have a c-section. They also support nurses, by being the first point of contact for the mother and child after birth to confirm safe delivery of the child and good health of both. They also take time to relay this information to the family who is waiting for the good news of the birth of their child. This would normally be the job of the nurse.

Historically midwifery has been taught and learned through apprenticeship. An experienced older woman teaches a younger woman how to assist women through childbirth including the medications and natural remedies they would use to ease the pain. They were also taught how to soothe women and rub their backs to make them more comfortable through the life-changing process. According to ancient history, it was believed that it was easier for mothers to give birth while seated; and so a chair was provided for them to sit on. The birthing chair had armrests to allow the mother to hold onto something while she labored and, in most cases, it had a backrest for her to push against during the strains of delivery. In the times when the mother used a birthing stool. An assistant to the midwife (called a doula) would stand behind her and support her. When the birth got more difficult or was anticipated as a difficult birth she would call a physician to assist her. Just the way it is still done today.

Conclusion

Midwifery is an underrated profession, and one with so much importance. Bringing life into the world needs skilled and dedicated hands, that is sure and also comforting. It is a profession that also needs more support, by educating and training more interested women.

Euthanasia is described as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or when in an irreversible coma. It is done to relieve the patient from their suffering. The term comes from the Greek word ‘euthantos’, meaning easy death.

In most cases, the person suffering has an incurable condition while it can be different for others. At the person’s request, their life may be ended as per their instructions.However, there are times when the person is too ill to make the decision and It is done by family members, medics or in some cases, the courts. Euthanasia in most countries is illegal and is subject to imprisonment or other harsh consequences for whoever assists another to kill themselves. Even if it is their wish.

Contrary to this, euthanasia is legal in some European countries and there are even agencies to call that can assist with a euthanasia procedure. For example, a man suffering from a disability or prolonged illness may feel their quality of life is poor and prefer to die. They are also people who are devastated by the consequences of an accident, or medical procedure etc. and prefer an ‘easy death’.

For many years. Euthanasia has been at the center of many debates that have caused an ethical, religious and moral uproar at the consent and refusal to perform the act. Ethically, some have argued that its equivalent to helping someone commit suicide, and therefore it is a wrongful act. Morally it weighs on one’s conscience having assisted someone to end their life. From a religious perspective, the only power with the right to end a life is God. Be it in the Hindu, Islam or Christian practice. The argument is that it is not in the power of a human being to do choose whether a human being lives or dies. Even if it is their own life.

The ‘do not resuscitate’ instructions given by patients has been put to the comparison. However, it is not completely similar because the patient has an emergency that may lead to their demise whereby the family and the patients themselves choose whether to continue or die naturally. This may fall under the extraordinary care plan, whereby a patient may die after refusing extraordinary or burdensome medical treatment.

Euthanasia can either be done by taking the necessary actions like administering a lethal painless drug, or by inaction. Failing to keep a feeding tube going or the oxygen machine etc. Giving of medication in order to reduce pain is not considered euthanasia. Many patients do undergo a lot of pain, especially those who have terminal illnesses like cancer and need to be administered for pain medication to numb their pain. Too much of this is an overdose and essentially wrong because an overdose can lead to death. More than that, administering pain medication should be monitored because most of them are highly addictive. Making addicts out of the already suffering patients.

This can be recognized as many patients who leave rehabilitation centers for physical therapy leave addicted to medical drugs. This is because of the pain they feel from associated with past injuries that leads them to take prescribed drugs more often than recommended making them prone to addiction. The people who support euthanasia look at it as a form of mercy killing. Pleading the case for mercy killings, the same way it is done for animals that are sick or badly injured.

Animals are ‘put down’ by their owners and veterinarians when the animals are ill and can no longer live without pain. For example, animals that perform in a circus or participate in animal shows are willingly put down as they are of no use to their owners or the company they perform for. In the same way, they are those who believe it is a mercy killing to implement euthanasia. Due to my spiritual beliefs, I do not believe in administering euthanasia.