HEALTHCARE WORKERS: GETTING WHAT THEY DESERVE

With the pandemic still exerting its effects on us, the importance of healthcare workers has only been on the rise. These workers have been on the forefront, working day in and day out to keep the rest of the populace safe.

Undoubtedly, such frontline workers and nurses require nothing short of the best for the impeccable services they put up. Many services offer top quality safety gear for these workers, from nurses pants to lab coats. These scrubs, as they are called medically, are pivotal for any healthcare worker.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, there are over 600,000 registered healthcare workers as of 2020. Out of this, 100,000 people are medical professionals, 350,000 people are nurses or midwives, and the rest comprises allied medical professionals.

What do healthcare professionals do?

Primarily, healthcare professionals work in the health sector, where they provide healthcare services to people in need. This is a vast and vital sector as the health of the population, and especially the working populace determines the population pyramid of the country as well as the economic milestones.

Frontline workers, however, slightly differ from this category. Although they fall under the umbrella of healthcare workers, the time and intensity of work they deal with are significantly different. For example, if one considers the COVID-19 pandemic, the frontline workers are the professionals deployed in the emergency services sector. These people strictly take care of COVID emergencies and work round the clock since it is a pandemic.

While doctors tend to oversee and only perform significant operations, many of these frontline healthcare workers consist of nurses with holistic training who will consistently monitor the patient’s vitals and keep track of multiple patients. Nurses comprise the largest clinical workforce in Australia, with 72,000 new nurses enrolling every year!

First day as a nurse

Once individuals pass the interview and attend the preliminary orientation, they will be asked to report to their respective nurses as professional nurses. Any first day at work can be intimidating, more so if the job one undertakes has a lot of social and civic responsibilities. There is a certain level of preparedness that one can achieve. For this, experts have curated a list of essentials that a newly employed nurse needs to carry on their first day at work:

• Scrubs: Scrubs are uniforms that healthcare professionals, especially nurses, need to wear at all times. Typically, the outfit consists of nurses’ pants and tops in dark blue, light blue or black colour. But with advancements in the fashion industry, nurse skirts are also available. These come in different colours as well!
• Stationary: A hospital unit is extremely chaotic due to the kind of tasks they take up. In such a high-octane work environment, it is essential to carry additional stationery. As a newbie nurse, the management will expect a report to be turned in at the end of the day. Make sure to bring a small notepad for that. Colleagues and senior doctors might borrow a pen or two for jotting down notes, so ensure that there are additional pens too.
• Stethoscope Holster: Most nurses carry their stethoscopes around their necks. While this is convenient, it is not professionally appropriate. Furthermore, it can cause the spread of germs due to sweat accumulation. Carrying a holster helps keep the device clean and functional.