How long have you been a nurse?
Two and a half years here at Koja Hospital and before that I worked at a clinic in Kelapa Gading for a year.
What’s your schedule like?
It’s six days on and two days off. For the first two days, I’m on the morning shift [8 a.m. to 2 p.m.]. After that I do two days on the afternoon shift [2 p.m. to 9 p.m.] and then two days on the night shift [9 p.m. to 8 a.m.], followed by two days off. One nurse is responsible for six patients. The other nurses take care of my patients when I’m off.
Who is the most contagious patient you’ve ever taken care of?
I remember I had a patient who coughed up blood and had a high temperature for three months straight. When he checked in he had tuberculosis and HIV. I think that was the most contagious patient I’ve ever taken care of. You know, I have to check their blood and give them injections. We do have ways to avoid getting contaminated, like wearing gloves and a mask and consuming albumen every day. It’s risky, but we were trained to be brave and just get on with it.
What do you do on your days off?
I go out with other nurses who are on the same shift as me to watch a movie, or we just hang out at my place and watch DVDs. I like watching Korean and Taiwanese movies. But I spend most of my time caring for my other patients in their homes.
You do? Tell me about home care.
Some patients need and want to be taken care of after they are released from the hospital. That’s why many of them ask their nurse to take care of them and monitor their condition. Most of my home-care patients have heart disease. They buy their own medicine, so basically I fit my schedule around my shifts to visit and look after them.
How much do you earn from the home calls?
I can earn Rp 100,000 to Rp 120,000 [$11 to $13] per visit. On average, I can make 15 home visits a week. But I don’t always get paid. Sometimes, if I have a patient who really cannot afford it, I don’t ask them for money. Sometimes, I even give them money to help them buy medicine.
You have to be mobile to make visits. How do you get around?
By motorcycle. I don’t have a driver’s license, so if a cop stops me, I just say it’s my duty to save lives and they let me go [smiles].
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
I want to became a senior nurse, then I’ll officially be a civil servant. But that’s not enough; I’m interested in having my own business. When I’m officially a civil servant, I will be able to get a type of personal loan from the government and I’ll build some boarding houses for a business. Why? I’ve been thinking about other businesses like food, but it’s wasteful because food expires quickly. So I’m thinking about something that won’t expire and just needs maintenance. There you go, boarding houses. Besides, people always need a place to live.
You seem to be a hard worker.
It runs in the family. My eight brothers and sisters and I were always taught to fend for ourselves. Our parents only fed us up through high school. We had to make money ourselves to buy anything we wanted and to pay the bills. I used to work at the Jakarta Fair, and with the money I made, I was able to put myself through nursing academy.
What do you like most about your job?
Being a nurse means we learn something new every day. Don’t ever think you have enough knowledge to handle people and their illnesses. When you think you’ve mastered one case, a different case awaits. That’s what I like about this job, you’ll never get bored because you always have different people and different cases to face. And in this job, you can get a scholarship to specialize.
What’s your least favorite thing about your job?
When I’m on the night shift and patients ask me about the long-haired pretty nurse. You know what I’m talking about. We don’t have any nurse fitting that description here! I have never seen her myself, nor do I ever want to. It gives me goose bumps, but I have to tell the patient that particular nurse has gone home so that they won’t get scared.
Have you ever had a crush on a doctor or any of your patients?
No. The thought never crosses my mind. But when I’m with the other nurses we often joke around, match-making nurses with doctors.
What do you think about the government stopping free health care for smokers?
I shouldn’t say anything, but I agree.
-Posted on Jakarta Globe
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