MAC stands for 'Me And Cancer' and the digit '1' stands for 'Firstly' and MAC1 will cover my observations and thoughts/opinions related to the medical workers at the hospitals I have dealt with, BUT I am not going to identify any hospital by name. I already have a chart of codes for individual hospitals.
By the way, there will be a MAC2 and a MAC3.
MAC1
Re: MAC1
And I now want my first substantive entry into the online/Net documentation to relate to the nursing staff that are on duty in a cancer ward 24 hours a day --- in shifts, of course --- but their work is right there amongst other humans that are in some cases suffering bad pain or suffering nerve issues or suffering loss of feeling in their hands or feet or - - - oh that list is so - so - so long and those nurses are right there in the middle of the battle and what sort of suffering are those nurses going through as they perform their duties?
Those nurses are looking after us and trying to help us, BUT who is looking after the nurses and trying to help them?
I asked a couple of doctors that were attending to me if there was a special program for nurses who might be suffering from stress related problems and I seemed to get a kind of answer like the nurses could just go to our department for such things, just like regular patients.
What I mean is, there didn't seem to be any special program that was totally focused upon the nursing staff. Something about that strikes me as very strange.
Now you might wonder what I might know about such a complicated topic as stress due to work? Well, many years ago I was on active military duty in what was identified as a hostile environment and did participate in some flight operations that were probably not the safest places to be doing a job and it was not until some years later that I started reading and hearing about this thing called post something that we simply called combat fatigue and I realized that maybe I could have been suffering such like that but didn't really know it and nobody really seemed to bother asking about it except maybe during a pre-flight or at the mission briefing and maybe the CO or possibly the flight surgeon would simply ask if you were okay and you pretty much would answer: Yes, I'm fine. BUT normally that was an automatic thing so that nobody might know you were actually super tired or bummed out or whatever.
My point is, if you are in a job like that you are not going to admit to having troubles. Plain and simple --- you'll answer that you are okay, even if you are not --- most of the time.
So who is going to catch that someone might be in any sort of trouble? That something might be wrong? Probably some very special doctor or medical professional and how are they going to approach the topic IF they think they see somebody has a problem?
And I am going on the experience of the last hospital I was recently a resident of for many, many months --- and they didn't seem to have that sort of program in place and I have concerns about that. I was candid with a number of folks there about my concerns, but this is my first public writing on this topic.
And this is MAC1 because it is more important than just me and just my fellow MAC Club members. You know --- MeAndCancer Club --- or is that too weird for a club name?
Those nurses are looking after us and trying to help us, BUT who is looking after the nurses and trying to help them?
I asked a couple of doctors that were attending to me if there was a special program for nurses who might be suffering from stress related problems and I seemed to get a kind of answer like the nurses could just go to our department for such things, just like regular patients.
What I mean is, there didn't seem to be any special program that was totally focused upon the nursing staff. Something about that strikes me as very strange.
Now you might wonder what I might know about such a complicated topic as stress due to work? Well, many years ago I was on active military duty in what was identified as a hostile environment and did participate in some flight operations that were probably not the safest places to be doing a job and it was not until some years later that I started reading and hearing about this thing called post something that we simply called combat fatigue and I realized that maybe I could have been suffering such like that but didn't really know it and nobody really seemed to bother asking about it except maybe during a pre-flight or at the mission briefing and maybe the CO or possibly the flight surgeon would simply ask if you were okay and you pretty much would answer: Yes, I'm fine. BUT normally that was an automatic thing so that nobody might know you were actually super tired or bummed out or whatever.
My point is, if you are in a job like that you are not going to admit to having troubles. Plain and simple --- you'll answer that you are okay, even if you are not --- most of the time.
So who is going to catch that someone might be in any sort of trouble? That something might be wrong? Probably some very special doctor or medical professional and how are they going to approach the topic IF they think they see somebody has a problem?
And I am going on the experience of the last hospital I was recently a resident of for many, many months --- and they didn't seem to have that sort of program in place and I have concerns about that. I was candid with a number of folks there about my concerns, but this is my first public writing on this topic.
And this is MAC1 because it is more important than just me and just my fellow MAC Club members. You know --- MeAndCancer Club --- or is that too weird for a club name?
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snoringdog
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Re: MAC1
Hello MNyby,
Early in the pandemic there were some heartbreaking stories about several doctors and EMTs who could not stand the stress...and unfortunately, the close connections and help that could have saved them weren't available. (God, it's hard to write about the subject in a circumscribed way, as I feel I should....)
So, it is a critical need as you say.
I don't know how well-known these support groups and networks are, but the moderator on the Nursing group has pinned this post at the top -
https://www.reddit.com/r/nursing/comments/s34wgl/healthcare_and_essential_workers_you_deserve/
SD
Early in the pandemic there were some heartbreaking stories about several doctors and EMTs who could not stand the stress...and unfortunately, the close connections and help that could have saved them weren't available. (God, it's hard to write about the subject in a circumscribed way, as I feel I should....)
So, it is a critical need as you say.
I don't know how well-known these support groups and networks are, but the moderator on the Nursing group has pinned this post at the top -
https://www.reddit.com/r/nursing/comments/s34wgl/healthcare_and_essential_workers_you_deserve/
SD
Re: MAC1
I think a problem with any sort of "Are You Okay" style of thinking and then asking is that a colleague might feel like another person is prying into areas where they shouldn't be. Sort of like: I'm fine and why are you asking me if I am okay?
So I think literature is the first big step. I mean, management developing a work culture in a given location where everyone feels safe about looking after each other. By "literature" I mean things that have been very cleverly and properly written to make people feel safe about being open to review of a sort by those around you.
A very, very clever "Are You Okay?" campaign so nobody feels insulted by the question. I'll have to do some research, won't I? Some medical facility has very likely been able to achieve such a campaign that has proven to work. Just have to find that success story.
And it might not even be a clever "Are You Okay?" campaign in the medical profession. It might be in another field of a workplace environment.
So I think literature is the first big step. I mean, management developing a work culture in a given location where everyone feels safe about looking after each other. By "literature" I mean things that have been very cleverly and properly written to make people feel safe about being open to review of a sort by those around you.
A very, very clever "Are You Okay?" campaign so nobody feels insulted by the question. I'll have to do some research, won't I? Some medical facility has very likely been able to achieve such a campaign that has proven to work. Just have to find that success story.
And it might not even be a clever "Are You Okay?" campaign in the medical profession. It might be in another field of a workplace environment.