Posts by Tony Barlow
Registered Nurse Plumber?
I have noted with interest over the years that nurses (and I am one) have had an attitude of “I can do that. Give me that job” and indeed nurses have expanded their role quite considerably. When accused of trying to be ‘mini doctors’ nurses have responded ‘no we are maxi nurses’. We have clearly demonstrated that [...]
A Critical Observation of Critical Insurance
Like many people, I have a mortgage and with it, the necessary life insurance. With mine, I took out the ‘critical cover’ – what this means is that if I die, the mortgage is paid off and if I become ill and cannot work, then the mortgage is paid off. But stop…if I become ill? [...]
Drug addiction?
Photo by taiyofj : Flickr click image
There have been many discussions on over reliance/ dependence on medication over the years. Personally, I do think that both public and professionals rely too much on pill popping. I certainly feel a degree of sympathy for GP’s who have a few minutes to decide on someone’s illness and treatment plan. The [...]
Holistic fantasies revealed
It would be foolish to say that nursing – indeed any health profession I know – offers true holistic health care. Sure, we talk the talk of being holistic. We say that we cater for all needs and care for the individual – a principle that is enshrined in the Code of Conduct. And yes, [...]
A sporting yarn
There was once a cricketer who enjoyed his sport and got rather good at it. One day, the cricketer bumped into a footballer and said“Hello, I’m a professional sportsman just like you!”
The footballer looked at the cricketer with great disdain.
“No you’re not”
“Yes I am” cried the cricketer in dismay.
The cricketer went away and thought long [...]
Health Promotion?
I’m getting a bit tired of the emphasis on just promoting physical health – what about mental health? Of course, five portions of fruit and vegetables are important, so is not smoking etc – of course mental health nurses have a role in this, but…
When I became a mental health nurse, it was because I [...]