Crying ladies

We had 2 staff who cried while on-duty today.

Firstly it was the admin staff M who cried upon arrival. She was disappointed with her son's PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examinations) results. PSLE being a major examination for typically 12 year-old children in Singapore. SSN R who was in-charge spent some time counselling her. At the end of her shift, the admin staff shared with me about her concerns.

At around 1pm, I walked into the staff room and saw SSN R pacifying SEN M who was crying. I left the room immediately as I did not wish to interfere. I have no idea what SEN M was crying about. Thereafter, SSN R gave permission for SEN M to leave work earlier at the end-of the shift.

SSN R has a fierce look and voice when she doesn't smile, but she is motherly at heart. As a nurse groomed on the old-style nursing training (i.e. School of Nursing), she has a tendency to whine about the new nurses by comparing with the past. However, after one incident when I confronted her for bad-mouthing about me behind my back, she has been supportive since.

As the in-charge, SSN R was willing to give some flexibility to staff depending on situation. After today, my respect for her increased. It is not easy dealing with a busy ward, overbooking by Admissions resulting in unhappy parents, and yet have to handle 2 staff with personal crisis.