Celebrating 60 years of International Nurses Day (May 12): Hospital is home, nurses are relatives

To stay alive, patients with chronic kidney failure must go to the hospital 3 times a week for dialysis (each session lasts 4 hours). Many patients have been attached to the hospital for half their lives, considering the hospital as their home and the nurses as their relatives.

Nurse Pham Thi Kim Hong (Artificial Kidney Department, Thong Nhat General Hospital) kindly advises patients to follow their diet. Photo: H. Dung

Understanding the situation and pain of patients, nurses often care, share, and help them have more motivation to live happily.

Dedicated, devoted

Ms. TT (40 years old, living in Dong Hoa commune, Trang Bom district) has been on dialysis for 6 years at the Artificial Kidney Department, Thong Nhat General Hospital. Although she has been sick for many years, Ms. T.'s skin is still rosy, no one would think she has chronic kidney failure.

Master Huynh Tu Anh, Vice President of the Vietnam Nursing Association, President of the Dong Nai Nursing Association, emphasized: “The nursing force accounts for 70% of the entire healthcare workforce. The nursing team has been affirming its important position, contributing to improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, towards patient satisfaction.”

Sharing the “secret” to not having dark and tired skin, Ms. T. said that she followed the treatment, listened to and remembered the instructions of the doctor and nurses. She also always “listened to her body”, if she ate a certain food today and her body felt tired, she would not eat that food tomorrow.

Holding the hand of Ms. T. who is undergoing dialysis, nurse Pham Thi Kim Hong, Department of Artificial Kidney, advised: “Although it is hot, try to drink less water. It is fruit season, so even if you crave it, eat very little, especially durian because durian has a high potassium content. If you eat too much, it will affect your heart and you won’t be able to keep up.”

Nurse Hong pointed to a few bruises on patient T.'s left arm and said that due to his physical condition, the patient could not insert a needle to filter blood by hand like other patients, but had to insert a catheter through his chest so that the blood could flow directly to his heart. This was inconvenient for the patient in terms of hygiene and bathing, but there was no other way.

The person with the longest experience of dialysis at Thong Nhat General Hospital is Mr. D.H., residing in Trang Bom District. Mr. D.H. has been with the hospital for 25 years and is very familiar with the doctors and nurses at the Artificial Kidney Department. Mr. H. confided that the doctors and nurses are very dedicated and enthusiastic towards the patients, guiding and instructing the patients gently, without being irritable. Therefore, he considers the hospital as his second home and the nurses and doctors as his own relatives.

Although it is hard, I will not give up my job.

The Artificial Kidney Department of Thong Nhat General Hospital is currently one of the units with the most kidney dialysis machines in the country with 104 machines; 530 patients with chronic kidney failure in and outside the province are regularly undergoing dialysis here. Every day the department performs 4 dialysis sessions. Due to the large number of kidney failure patients, the department is often overloaded. In order for the dialysis process to take place smoothly and safely, all 6 doctors and 42 nurses in the department always uphold a sense of responsibility and follow the correct dialysis procedures.

Nurse Le Thi Lan (Artificial Kidney Department, Thong Nhat General Hospital) performs dialysis for a patient. Photo: H. Dung

Head Nurse of the Artificial Kidney Department, Luong Thi Kim Cuc, said that before starting work, nurses are trained for 6 months in artificial kidney to master professional knowledge. After the doctor gives the order, the nurse will perform the dialysis technique and monitor the patient throughout the process.

“Each dialysis machine has many complicated wires, so each nurse must be very focused when performing the technique. Because if there is even a small mistake like the needle falling out of the tube, the consequences will be very serious,” said nurse Kim Cuc.

The theme for International Nurses Day 2025 is: “Our nurses. Our future. Caring for nurses is also about boosting economic efficiency.”

Also because of compassion for patients, understanding the circumstances, thoughts, wishes, and family circumstances of patients, the nurses of the Artificial Kidney Department often propose to the Department's Board of Directors and the Hospital's Social Work Department to mobilize donors to support patients. Thereby, helping patients have money to pay hospital fees, cover part of their living expenses, and feel secure in their treatment.

Nurse Le Thi Lan confided that in 13 years of working at the Artificial Kidney Department, she has come into contact with thousands of patients. Most patients with chronic kidney failure have very difficult family circumstances. A patient undergoing dialysis often has a relative accompanying them for support. Therefore, they cannot work to earn more income, many families fall into a vicious cycle of illness and food and money. At times like these, Ms. Lan feels more compassion for the patients and tries to do her best at her job.

Having the opportunity to work in both the Emergency Resuscitation and Artificial Kidney Departments, nurse Kim Hong confided that the work in each department has a different nature. In the Emergency Resuscitation Department, the patients are mainly serious and come in unexpectedly, and nurses mainly take care of them. In the Artificial Kidney Department, the patients are all familiar, and the nurses' work is more focused on performing procedures.

Although there are times when the job is very stressful, nurses Kim Cuc, Kim Hong, Le Lan and many other nurses have never thought of quitting their jobs.

Hanh Dung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202505/ky-niem-60-nam-ngay-quoc-te-dieu-duong-12-5-benh-vien-la-nha-dieu-duong-la-nguoi-than-f5866f8/