Dear Readers,
I received a great comment from a former nurse on cruise ships who wanted to share some of her travels as well. The nostalgia for the sea must have been pretty heavy after reading my blog - she was inspired to share these thoughts.
BTW - for those looking for the
slot machine theory on cruise ships, click here. It is a former blog entry, you can find them all on the right (click on the HOW IT ALL STARTED).
Please read the below comments from an anonymous nurse:
TrumpetDad Many many years ago (29) I worked for HAL as ship's nurse. The medical area was a joke compared to what I see on modern ships now. Except for one doctor, they were good, given what they had to work with. Most of the nurses had ER, critical care or good general experience prior to being hired on. Equipment was limited but we did our best. The company generally bent over backwards to satisfy passengers. Ship's crew, staff and officers were well taken care of. Port agents were helpful in expediting any care needed ashore.
On board we were able to do simple blood and urine tests and some x-rays, although the latter was a bit of joke since we had no x-ray techs and we more or less taught each other. I often wonder how much harm we did to our patients and urselves with improper exposure. The nurses were on call 24/7 so office hours were a suggestion. Any time of day or night a passenger wanted to be seen, no matter how minor the issue was, we were to see them ASAP. I once got in trouble for leaving thermometers at the consierge (where they already had Tylenol, Tums, and Dramamine). I figured if a passenger wanted to know if they had a fever they could check themdelves and then self medicate with the Tylenol and then be seen during regular office hours in the morning. Why wake me at whatever time for that? Oh, there was hell to pay for proactive move. On the avererage, most night I was on call, my sleep was disturbed. And that would be every other night. There was a 10 week period I was the only nurse (smaller ships) and I was called every single night. And that meant getting dressed. The Hotel Manager wanted us to make face contact, not a phone consultation. All that said, it was a good experience. Lots of free travel, good times and fond memories. To these thoughts I would like to add that the medical facilities was incredibly accomodating on both Carnival and Princess when I needed to visit them as a crew member. I hope the nurse wasn't inspired to write these comments because she thought my
comments in my blog post were negative. I've had only great experiences.
I hope everyone appreciate the time the nurse took in sharing her expeience. Let this be a call to any other crew members: What's YOUR story of working on a ship? I'll let you "guest blog" on here within reason. Obviously if I get too many it may get cumbersome.
Happy travels everyone. We're heading into a slow cruise season but spring break and summer is coming soon.
Trumpetdad, I did not read your comments as negative. I am so pleased to have found your blog and look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteMy experience, although problematic at times, was the job of a lifetime. The microcosm that ship's life was on the small ships of the past meant that everyone sees and everyone knows (or think they do) your every move and relationships. All of a sudden quiet 'ol me became the object of rumors and speculations based on who I was seen talking to, sitting with, going ashore with, etc. Tongues would flap up and down and all around those little ships. Maybe that still happens, I don't know.
Just to let you know, I always enjoyed spending time with the entertainers (although I did find them to be a needy group medical-wise). I have a funny (well to me it was) magician story. Some other time if you're interested.
Sorry for all the typo's on my last comment.
By the way my name is Arlene. Maybe, just maybe someone I worked with will remember me.