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Tending to the sick with great affection

SHARJAH — Twenty-one years into the profession and she still loves it. Sister Latifa Mohammed, a Filipino nurse working in Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah for the past 17 years loves her job, even though her ambition was to become a doctor.

“I ended up becoming a nurse though since childhood I had aspired to become a doctor,” she says. Transferred from Al Ain to Al Qasimi Hospital upon its establishment 17 years ago, Latifa says that getting attached to patients is a natural thing in the nursing profession.

“I have seen many interesting cases in my career, but some cases are really close to my heart. For example, there is child in my care for long. I have seen him improve in front of my eyes. He was extremely bedridden, now he can sit and talk because of our care. He is close to my heart,” she says.

“Since I came to this hospital, I have been taking care of the Male Surgical Ward. I was shifted to the Male Medical Ward for a short while, but I prefer where I am now,” she said explaining that several wards had to be looked after at a time, including Plastic Surgical Ward, General, Neurological, ENT, Ophthalmic and many more.

“Some days when you are in-charge, you do not directly take care of patients, but you overlook the whole wards and nurses,” she adds.

Her typical day starts at 7am when the endorsement takes place. “The night shift hands over the duty to the day shift. It may take some 30 minutes to take the complete details of each patient,” explains Latifa.

Latifa explains that by 7.30am the rounds start which also include taking care of bedridden patients and distributing breakfast to all patients.

“We have to shift the position of the people who are unconscious so that they do not get bed sores, wash them, change the dressings which may take form 20-25 minutes if the wound is big,” she explains, adding that by this time it is 10.30am.

Lunch is served by midday and the required medications by 1pm. The rounds are done again by 2pm and in between there might be emergency cases that may require attention. The endorsement for the morning shift to the next shift is done by 2.55pm. With a supportive husband and a 17-year-old son, Latifa says she manages her job and house well.