The list of functions and responsibilities of nurses working in adult or pediatric severe somatic (oncology/hematology, immunology, resuscitation, organ transplantation, etc.) and palliative medicine is extremely wide. Due to the proximity, intensity, and duration of their contact with the wards and their families, as well as due to the very specifics and philosophy of the palliative approach, nursing functions cannot be limited or reduced only to medical care for patients (International Council of Nurses, 2021). They are inevitably associated with the provision of spiritual, psychological, and sometimes even psychotherapeutic support by nurses to their wards, who have various needs and are often in a difficult physical and psychological state. All this can greatly increase my psychological and moral burden at work.
I am worried that in the workplace, perhaps my functions will not be clearly defined. I prefer to prepare for the possible demands of my position, but nurses are multifunctional in practice and this sometimes requires going beyond the standard responsibilities. Nurses feel the low social significance of their own work and their position, which is further exacerbated by low wages and frequent depreciation of their work by other medical professionals (McIntyre & McDonald, 2019). All this significantly reduces the motivation of the sisters and can influence my own. Psychological difficulties largely determine nurses’ low emotional satisfaction with work (Ventura et al., 2021). I’m concerned that personal experience of unpleasant events, a collision with situations I’m not prepared for can lead to the so-called secondary traumatization.
References
International Council of Nurses. (2021). The ICN code of ethics for nurses. Web.
McIntyre, M., & McDonald, C. (2019). Chapter 18: Issues arising from the nature of nurses’ work and work environments. In Realities of Canadian Nursing: Professional, practice, and power issues (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Ventura, C. A. A., Austin, W., Carrara, B. S., & de Brito, E. S. (2021). Nursing care in mental health: Human rights and ethical issues. Nursing Ethics, 28(4), 463–480.