What Does It Take to be a Home Care Nurse in UAE?

There are times when I think about of giving up, of going back home and just leave this awful place, this company and this job that I've come to bitterly hate every moment I am part of it. Long working hours, no holidays, no day offs, delayed salary, unsympathetic employers and most of all, a caregiving job as what most of clients think of us that we have to endure everyday as home care nurses. To those who doesn't even have the slightest idea, being a nurse working in UAE sounds so grand, the high salary is what the only thing they can think of and being in a foreign country (abroad) is a great accomplishment. Maybe for those who ended up in a hospital or in a better post such as clinics and medical centers. But for us in home care, it's not as grand as what is sounds like, behind that label is a struggle, a day-to-day grind to survive. Not all working conditions are same, some company have better management and other nurses are in good hands, but when you go and ask; it's the same for most of us. What does it take and why we are still here? Let me tell you what and why.

It takes patience, lots of it. Caring for a diverse kind of clients with different culture, language, religion and practices will really push you to your limits. Most of them are Geriatric patients (elderlies) who are suffering from depression, dementia and other neurological degenerations. Some of their anger will be manifested on you, some will repeatedly ask you questions and some will make you do things again and again.

Irritating isn't it? But we still patiently care for them, no matter how our duty shifts went, at the end, we still see our patients as someone who needs care and attention, and knowing we've done something to help them, keeps us going to continue caring for them. 

Dealing with the company's poor management and unsympathetic employer is another story, and what's the worse? It is waiting for the delayed salary that takes so long to come. Yes, you read it right. But as what they always say, "Patience is a virtue". 

It takes flexibility. A change of routines, rotating schedules to different homes (day shift, night shift, 12 hours, 48 hours duty), we experience all of those even without off. There are times when you have to go straight duty for 36 to 48 hours, your supervisor will require you to because the company is understaffed, someone went to a month-long vacation, or some nurses got sick or on strike (d/t delayed salary), either way, your flexibility and hardiness will be really tested, compromising your rest days, appointments and plans of going out. 

What's your life? Only work. If your not flexible enough to compromise, you will only end up bitter and in despair. Career dissatisfaction will be a main reason for quitting but resigning and complaining is another struggle. 

It takes a healthy body and strong immune system. Ever tried staying up whole night? We do that every other day, or sometimes 3-5 days a week. If you get 2 days off after then you're lucky, but mostly, 1 day or 36 hours is the longest you can have. 

And it's not only staying up that's our concern the most. Home care nurses are trained to work independently and when I say that, we do all the work even lifting our bedridden patients. We're lucky if we get some help but it's all by ourselves mostly. How do we do that? Proper positioning and ergonomic techniques, but sometimes it just doesn't work. We still end up having a constant pain on our lower back, tensed muscles and tired bodies. If we also don't take good care of our nutrition, don't take vitamins regularly then we might probably end up being sick almost every month. 

It takes continuos learning. Do you think that hospital work is complex? Try home care nursing. We only care for one patient at a time unlike in what hospitals do, but don't underestimate how hard the work is. Like any other job, on how to do it better requires continuous learning. In a country where there's a diverse kind of people, we also have to learn their culture, religious practices they observe and how to best interact with their family members. Communication is one great barrier and so, we also educate ourselves on how to speak the language and to give proper care to our patients. Arabic, Urdu, and Hindi are the language commonly used so we also got used to speaking some of its basic phrases. 

It takes a positive attitude. That even if the patient scolded you for giving him a bath, screamed at you horrible things you can't even understand, called you different lots of names, accused you of doing something different, hit or scratch you as part of their uncontrollable urge, got blamed for everything by patients' family or relatives, still you manage to put on a smile and carry on with the day. You just get to understand that they are patients and people who are having struggles and all you can do is to be empathetic to what they are going through. Hypocrisy isn't it? But you gotta endure it and see it in a positive note because the next day is the same scenario you are facing. 

So there's really no room for negativity, and the only choice you have is to quit. But where's the fulfillment after that? Nothing. And how will you resign? It takes a looong and ardous process. So better accept it and treat everyday as a challenge and a chance to get better. 

So why we're still here, keep doing our jobs? Because we get fulfillment from our job. Oh I know it's crap, but it's one of that. Despite everything that we have to go through at this terrible job,  a simple thank you coming from our patients relieves all the stress. It is knowing that we're appreciated even in little things gives us the confidence to go on, that a two-year contract is just fast and would end and we'd be in a better place after.

It's being able to provide to our family back home despite the struggles we are having, it is being able to help the country's economy by our monthly remittances and it is being able to give nursing service and care which is more of a calling than a profession.