We have quite a few nurses living locally and some working in local medical centres and nursing homes.
The nurse-to-patient ratio is crucial to quality care. An equivalent of one nurse for every four patients in acute-care beds is what nurses say is needed. Ratios vary depending on the type of patient.
There is a national shortage of nurses.
Maybe we should have a clearer understanding of the skills of nurses. They seem like something particularly valuable for transition to a resilient future.
When I interviewed some staff at Bellevue Nursing Home last week one of the things we talked about was how they lift heavy patients. They described scientific techniques for folding slippery sheets in half and using it to pull or roll a patient on top of it pulling the top fold over the bottom fold. Might need to try it out instead of getting my head in knots trying to imagine it.
My mum trained as a nurse and I’ve never forgotten how she taught me to make a bed or how to use a thermometer.
There are a lot of skills nurses know that are very valuable to know.