Twisted Sister: Her Travelling Shenanigans

By Rebecca Burnett

As a registered nurse with over seventeen years of experience, I thought it was time to lighten the ever-increasing seriousness of the world and share my personal experiences and shenanigans traveling as a nurse. My daily situations are told to you the only way I know how: brutally honest and truthfully raw whilst smothered in my dark and dirty sense of humour. Read this book if you have a strong stomach, appreciate attention to detail and a twisted sense of humour. You won't regret it! Or maybe you will!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Aug 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9780228874027

Rebecca Burnett

I've been a registered nurse for over seventeen years and I've worked within both the public and private sectors, each with their own challenges. Throughout my career I've been involved with some seriously mucked-up scenarios. Recently, I've decided to travel and do some contract nursing, primarily around Australia and abroad, and I can honestly say these crazy situations are exacerbated with their own components of individuality and location. Like most nurses I know, I've dealt with these situations with a professional smile on my face while a 'WTF' is silently going off in my head. We, nurses, hold each other up and carry on by sharing our stories with each other covered in a dark and dirty sense of humour. I've shared these stories with my family too, and now I want to share them with all of you. Read on if you dare . . .

Book preview

Twisted Sister

Her Travelling Shenanigans

Rebecca Burnett

Twisted Sister

Copyright © 2022 by Rebecca Burnett

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-7401-0 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-7400-3 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-7402-7 (eBook)

Contents

1: Nepal – 2019

2: Northern Territory, Australia – 2020

3: Tasmania, Australia

4: South Eastern Queensland, Australia

About the Author

1: Nepal – 2019

At this point in my nursing career, I had been working within the private health sector which, in my opinion, treats their staff terribly, and as a result, I was questioning my future in nursing. Not only are we nurses dealing with unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios, but we’re constantly being expected by management to do more with less, and the abuse from patients and their relatives constantly had me at a breaking point.

I needed to get away and find my passion for nursing again. I wanted to do something completely out of my comfort zone. I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to be appreciated again. I needed to find an inner peace, if that makes sense.

So, I did some research and found - ‘World Youth International’ - and their - ‘Nurses in Action’ program. An amazing program where nurses can volunteer their time and expertise to help those less fortunate all over the world.

I chose Nepal because a dear friend of mine – Mumma Cath – had shared her stories of her time there with me and I’ve always wanted to experience the humbleness of the native people which she had described. Within twenty-four hours I was booked into the program, my leave was arranged and I was excited and shitting myself at the same time.

Because I was going to be away from my children for the first time, I promised them I would write daily entries with photos attached so they knew what I was doing each day. Below are my entries. Enjoy!

Day 1

Did a bit of sightseeing in Kathmandu today. Looks like a war zone because of the earthquakes in 2011 and 2015. The girls I am working with are a really great bunch. We walked to this bloody temple (which almost killed me, it’s so hot here) and got stalked by monkeys. I climbed 13,600 steps to see this frigging thing. I almost died. Now for some lunch.

Day 2

Woke up at 0600 hours to commence our 8 hour bus trip to Pokhara. Those of you who know me well will guess correctly that I slept for half of it. When I was awake, I witnessed many things on the road – roaming cows, buffalo, goats, chickens and hundreds of dogs. There seems to be no road rules here. Overtaking on mountainous roads is the norm! OMG, I did wee myself a little bit. I saw people bathing their children in front of their houses in small tubs. The buildings have an interesting architecture (not what I was expecting at all) with outrageous colour schemes that work. I have squatted to pee many times today and let me tell you it is an art. Some girls in the group have peed down their legs and on their boots. I am proud to say I didn’t do that, and I wasn’t embarrassed to laugh at those who did. I know. I’m naughty.

Day 3

Started the day in Pokhara by dropping off my laundry (this is important for later in the story) and having a great brekky by the lake. We then went back to our hotel and played some cool team-building exercises and learned risk management planning, just in case of an earthquake or being confronted by a tiger (yes, there have been sightings)! Did some shopping and got some goodies for an excellent price. Then came time for lunch – the worst food I’ve had yet – followed by hospital orientation time. Woo hoo! The original hospital that was supposed to be hosting us is striking for better conditions (Go nurses!). So, it was two bus rides and over to the plan B hospital where they were very pleased to have us.

I’ll be working on the surgical ward with two of my team members here. The facilities are extremely basic and a little confronting, but I knew they would be. The male patients are kept separate from the female patients. The family members of the patients also stay, and they do all the hygiene cares. How’s that for all my colleagues back home? It was then time for the two bus rides back and some more education lessons on the roof of our hotel. The view from the roof was amazing but I could have done without my underwear and bras flapping in the breeze alongside my newfound friends. Thankfully, we’re all nurses so there are no boundaries and no lines that cannot be crossed. Until tomorrow.

Day 4

Slept in until 0745 hours then had brekky with my awesome groupies (living the life!), after which it was time for language and cultural sensitivity training with Kanchan and Jaya our Nepalese translators/negotiators/assistant team leaders. These sessions were accompanied by lots of laughter and cheekiness. We were then set free onto the streets for some more shopping to practise our newly learned language. As you could imagine this was both embarrassing and funny for all of us. We were repeatedly told by the locals we were speaking slang Nepalese, bad Nepalese and mixed-up Nepalese. We all then met up for lunch, where I was stalked and licked by a cow on the streets. Good thing he was so cute! It was then time for a boat ride across the lake to another temple where I couldn’t hide my inner craziness anymore. Whilst practising her Nepalese, a member of our group mistakenly confessed her love to the boat operator to his horror and embarrassment. He ran for cover and we all just pissed ourselves laughing. Dinner was had in a restaurant called the Krazy Gecko, which was literally on the side of a hill with an awesome view over the lake. With a full belly, I bid you all good night.

Day 5

Still in Pokhara enjoying the sights. Our day started with brekky together at our usual place. The more time I spend with these girls the more amazed by them I become. I’ve truly been blessed with an awesome group of people who have hearts of gold and gentle souls. After brekky we came back to the hotel to plan our education sessions for our visit to one of the many orphanages here. We chose three topics: (1) Dental Health; (2) Hand Hygiene; (3) Burns and Fire Safety. Our first challenge of the day was to condense information and keep it simple enough for the young boys (ten in total) to understand. The session on Dental Health included lots of singing and dancing. For the session on Hand Hygiene, we used glitter to mimic bugs, and my session on Burns and Fire Safety included colouring posters and two games. We then taught the boys how to play - Duck, Duck, Goose. There were endless laughs from all the boys and us, of course. We then went across the road to their church to watch them sing and play instruments. It was such a good day! Tonight’s shenanigans have ended with my bed buddy and me being comfortable enough now that we can fart in front of each other. Oh, and I’ve also ripped the shower head out from the wall, broken the tiles and flooded the bathroom already. Good times.

Day 6

My day started with seeing a squad of around thirty Gurkhas running in the street. Gurkhas are known as some of the fiercest warriors ever to take up arms. These Nepalese soldiers regularly receive high valour awards from both Britain and India because of their bravery. There are well documented stories of these soldiers having other soldiers world-wide shitting their boots. I’ve heard and read some impressive stories about these guys, so I, too, was shitting myself. They really do look scary upfront. Little. But, very lethal.

Today was our first day working in the hospital. It took two bus rides not only negotiating cars and bikes but also cows and buffalo to get there. I worked on the burns ward which is part of the general surgery ward and OMFG! I knew it was going to be pretty basic but I wasn’t quite prepared for how primitive it actually is. I mean, primitive isn’t the right word for it really. Plastic tarps are used for bluies (blue sheet of material, much like a nappy, about 40cm x 120cm placed under patients when there is a risk of fluid leakage). We have to cut, roll and sterilize the gauze squares ourselves. No Workplace Health and Safety anywhere. No five moments of hand hygiene. No concept of managing sharps safely. No privacy. Fudging observations (scary stuff). No cleaning staff anywhere. The doctors do the hourly rounding here and change the dressings. I had fun observing a burns dressing initially and then I got to help too (so much fun). They have such limited resources here it is beyond belief. They didn’t want me to help at first because they didn’t have gloves to spare. When I said I have my own it was all systems go.

There are five to six beds per room. Family stay too and do the hygiene cares. Anything required for their family members care the nurses write out a ticket and they go and purchase everything from the pharmacy. They also recycle EVERYTHING. I asked to see the emergency trolley and I nearly died. No defibrillator – WTF? Nope, don’t do that on the wards, only in ICU and theatre! So, if you code on the wards you die. Oops! On a lighter note, our bathroom is fixed and I observed that the locals wear socks with their thongs. I told you that was a thing, Dad, so stop giving me shit!

Day 7

One week gone today. My day started with my usual brekky – Mango Madness smoothie bowl. So yummy. Then it was meeting the rest of the group on the street corner to catch the two buses to the hospital. It was on this corner that we were greeted by a cute stray dog, which we all wanted to pat and cuddle until one of the nurses noticed worms hanging out of its butt hole. Nice start to the day!

On the way to the hospital, we drove past people giving blood on the side of the street which was good to see. No such thing as aseptic technique. Day two in the hospital commenced with some more dressings. I was so excited about seeing pink crepe bandages. Very cool. The medical interns thought I was a weirdo but I just added them to the long list of people who already think that. The ward today consisted of thirteen Year 3 nursing students and seven Year 2 nursing students. They were all literally running the ward whilst the actual qualified nurses did the medical rounds. Things I’ve learnt today include recycling old patient notes by using them to dry our hands after washing them. Patient’s charts are all written in English, and we test blood glucose level readings by pricking fingers with size 21g and/or size 23g needles.

After a short while I was off to theatre. It was a very interesting day. I witnessed two C-sections, both boys. I watched a lap cholecystectomy and an abdominal hysterectomy. Throughout the day I witnessed sterile fields being kept and theatres being washed down between procedures (such a relief). However, people can walk in whenever they like and use their mobile phones freely. Photos and videos are readily taken by an assortment of medical students from all around the globe. Most importantly, I found the crash trolley completely covered in dust and not much better than the one on the ward. After the hospital we all visited a community hall and educated the local women on menstrual hygiene, urinary tract infections, and the risks and prevention of a uterus prolapse. Basic knowledge that we take for granted. One nurse even got propositioned to marry the son of one of the women. Very funny. We’re all hoping to attend the Nepalese wedding.

What I’m really enjoying most about this group, so far, is after our individual experiences throughout the day we come together for our evening meal and share those experiences with each other. We debrief and regroup. We laugh and we cry. We hold each other up. Adding to our laughter tonight is wondering what the hell crumshit means on the restaurant’s menu. Not even Goggle could help us. Another glorious day spent in Nepal.

Day 8

Had an easy morning today. Went for a walk along the lake and main street. Came back to the hotel to do some more planning, in smaller groups, in preparation for our education presentation to some sex workers on Thursday. Hopefully, there won’t be any children because I honestly don’t think I’ll cope. My team leader is aware of my anxiety regarding this, and we have some strategies put in place, but apparently killing their pimps isn’t allowed. I’ve settled for torture. This afternoon we set up a med camp in a homeless shelter with the local doctors and a pharmacist, and all together we assessed and made future treatment plans for eighty patients. It was a big day. Looking around the shelter and watching on whilst the residents ate a hot lunch prepared by volunteers, their generosity and compassion for each other and their happiness in the smallest act of kindness shown towards them constantly amazed me. They truly are an inspiration. As a human being, I’ve never felt prouder of humanity. As a nurse, I have never felt more appreciated in my life. Loving Nepal and loving the group I’m