Nurses

On Radio York I was asked to comment on the news item about nurses, who will have to take a three year degree to qualify. My heart sank at this news.

In my maternity nursing days, there were nursing auxilleries doing the domestic tasks on the wards, SENs (State Enrolled Nurses) who undertook limited nursing duties and SRNs (State Registered Nurses), who were fully qualified nurses. SENs were removed some years ago and as a result a whole strata of care and I mean 'care' was removed from the wards. Nursing auxiliaries became nursing assistants and were meant to do more of the SEN's work.

It was obvious to many who worked in hospitals that standards of care would drop for two reasons. 1. Not enough nursing assistants 2. Too many SRN nurses, who wouldn't do certain tasks they felt 'beneath' them. Perhaps I should add that top heavy management and removing the matron, proved to be unhelpful too, but that is slowly being rectified.

Why did my heart sink at nurses having to take degrees and what has it to do with emotional maturity?

Despite the reassurances from the RCN (Royal College of Nursing), I maintain there will be too many nurses, who have slogged their way through a three year degree, who will not be willing, if necessary, to attend to the patient's/ward's needs, if no-one else is available. It would challenge their feelings of self worth, which are built on emotional maturity.

I am also concerned that the higher qualified person, if inwardly not very confident and hanging on to immature feelings, may also not want to admit that they may be wrong in certain situations. In hospitals this can lead to life threatening decisions. The statistics for deaths in hospitals are way too high already. It happens already and is likely to get worse. Unless these nurses receive training in emotional intelligence as well as all the academic subjects.

This behaviour occurs in many different workplaces, not just hospitals.

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I always find the weekend papers a rich source of examples of emotionally immature behaviour. Sometimes it comes in the description of someone by a journalist and sometimes from a person's description of their own behaviour.

It has been widely reported over the years that Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester Utd manager is a bully. Bullies are emotionally immature and should be confronted. I know this is easier said than done if threatened with violence, loss of job etc:

It would appear that Alex Ferguson's alleged bullying of referees has finally reached the point, where the referees have had enough and have stood up to him.

I liked what Piers Morgan wrote about it today's Mail on Sunday:

" Then the men in black finally stood up to him and punched him back...Their fear's gone, so has their respect..."

" Wayne Rooney's been moaning that Colleen won't let him change nappies. If Sir Alex keeps chucking his toys out of the pram, perhaps Wayne can change the gaffer's."

Says it all.