Retired nurse decries change in attitude towards the profession today

AS people often say, if you do what you love, you would not work a single day in your life and living proof of this is a 76-year-old retired nurse, Jean Souvenir who said, “If there is reincarnation I would want to be a nurse again.”

Although she loves the profession dearly, it was not her first choice. While growing up, Souvenir, like most young females, wanted to be a teacher but during one of her visits to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), she was persuaded to consider being a caregiver.

“In 1960 when school closed off for August I went to the hospital, a nurse there who I knew asked ‘what do you want to do ‘and I said ‘Be a teacher’ but she said I should consider nursing because of how I showed care and concern for babies,” said the retired nurse during an interview with the Pepperpot Magazine.

Luckily for her, a batch of nurses was being recruited to train in October of that year so she applied and was accepted to be a part of the batch.

“I live in South Ruimveldt now but back then I used to live on the West Bank of Demerara and when I had to go to the interview, I did not know which bus I had to take to reach GPHC but I walked and found out… eventually, I reached and there was a white woman there who interviewed me so I observed all protocols and was accepted,” she said.
The next day, decked in her white uniform which her mother had bought, she left to start her first day as a nurse-in-training.

Years later, the now retired nurse said she does not regret becoming a nurse because her experience in the profession was “incredible”.

Some of those incredible and even trying experiences included working through the riots in the 1960s when the hospital beds would be filled with patients waiting to be attended to.
Although she was afraid of the conditions outside the hospital, Souvenir maintained her focus in the institution and helped to save the lives of many people, some of whom even remember her to this day.

“I wasn’t doing shifts anymore during that time, I was going to save lives. One day we were sitting, thinking that it’s over and all we hear someone say ‘another one coming’; they brought a man who was out cold but we did all we could and saved his life,” said Souvenir.

Her heroics did not end there. When she was nine months pregnant with her last son, Souvenir was called out by her neighbours around midnight because one of the neighbours was pregnant and practically ready to give birth but her husband was not home.
“The baby’s head was almost out and I just went and I had gloves and everything; although I was struggling with my own pain I managed to keep myself together and told the woman to stay calm and just follow my instructions. Before we knew it the baby was out, crying,” she told the Pepperpot Magazine.

“I put a holler on the husband because he know his wife was due to get baby soon and he out doing taxi work,” Souvenir said, as she laughed and remembered some of her wonderful days in the profession. One week after that incident, Souvenir gave birth to her son as well.
The retired nurse believes that it is a wonderful profession but also decried the behaviour of some young people in the profession today.

CHANGE IN ATTITUDE
Souvenir said judging from her observation, some of the young nurses neither respect the profession nor the patients they attend to.

“You have to love nursing because if you do not love it, it’ll just be a job… although some may have their reasons to work for the GPHC and private hospitals at the same time, it is not fair to John Public because when they are tired they’ll be miserable and not give the patients the attention they deserve,” the retired nurse lamented.

The actions of the nurses today have also resulted in the public losing respect for the profession, she said, noting that in her time they were highly respected.
Even at her age, Souvenir, who is very mobile and capable, said she is ready to share advice with young nurses and even some doctors who request it.

“Nursing is a wonderful profession and you are always a nurse even after you retired. If there is reincarnation I would love to be a nurse again it would give me the opportunity to make so many people lives happy,” she said.

Her advice to persons who want to be nurses was to be sure that they actually want to be in the profession because if the love for caring is not there you would never give of your best and be a good nurse.