Borjana Petrovic is the Head Nurse at "Srbija" Public Hospital in East Sarajevo. She graduated from the Nursing Faculty in Prijedor in 2007, and obtained the title "graduate nurse". She completed a nursing high school majoring in obstetrics and gynecology in 1996 in East Sarajevo.
She used to be the Head Nurse at the Maternity Ward from 2008 – 2019, followed by the position of Head Nurse at "Srbija" Public Hospital, which she holds up to date.
Beginnings of her carrier... I started working right after the high school. The Kasindo Hospital's Maternity Ward was my first place of work. I believe that my carrier started at the most beautiful department, more precisely at the source of life. I was sure since early childhood that I would work as an obstetrics nurse, which eventually came true.
Nursing as vocation... Nursing is the most humane job. However, there are also many challenges, from the most beautiful to the most stressful situations in this profession. The biggest problem is a lack of experienced staff, as well as financial resources. Our hospital was opened five years ago with excellent working conditions and modern equipment. However, as in most institutions, the biggest problem is the lack of staff.
Our mission is to maintain and improve health services for the population of Republika Srpska by providing effective and efficient high quality health services, with the available resources and integrated health care system. We are committed to excellence in provision of wide range of health services and meeting the needs of our patients making them a focus of our attention. We work in cooperation with health and other institutions and are also teaching, training and research center.
Position of nurses in Bosnia and Herzegovina... I believe that nurses in Bosnia and Herzegovina are in an undesirable position. The health system cannot function without us, it is absolutely impossible, as has been witnessed many times so far. We are a pillar of the health system and I deem it necessary to approach the problem more seriously. The volume of work is high and the salaries are low, which leads to dissatisfaction. Colleagues simply do not have the opportunity to plan their private lives!
Pros and cons of nursing profession... The advantage of being a nurse is that you can fully exercise your responsibility, empathy, willingness to help other people, both in the most beautiful and in the most difficult moments. The bad side is that we are very often exposed to stress, that we often give too much at work while the other side of our life suffers.
How important are nurse-patient and nurse-doctor relationships? The nurse-patient relationship is necessary for the proper nursing care process and the patient's sense of safety. The doctor-nurse relationship is simply teamwork. Without teamwork, there is no possibility of functioning in our profession. Also, mutual respect is crucial.
About the negative trend of nurses’ outflow from BiH... In order to stop the trend of medical staff leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina or transferring to private sector, it is necessary to improve working conditions in every aspect. It is important to increase the number of nurses, especially working in shifts. In this way, the quality of patient care will be improved. A salary increase is also necessary, because we all work to live.
Work and conditions during the coronavirus pandemic... I hope it never happens again. We faced a huge unknown. Colleagues worked day and night, with superhuman efforts. It is difficult to explain it in a few sentences, especially to those who have not been through it. I would like to express my gratitude to all health professional who gave their best during the pandemic, and I must emphasize that our families suffered a lot.
Trainings for nurses... Continuous professional development is necessary, both internal and external. It is important for young colleagues but also for the already experienced ones. For me personally, communication topic is endless, not only in healthcare but in general. As they say: a kind word opens an iron door!
The role of Fami Foundation... For me personally, Fami Foundation is synonymous for - someone for the first time, started doing something for nursing more seriously in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We saw improvement of nursing at all health care levels, participated in numerous trainings covering topic "nurse managers in healthcare". Also, the huge and important support of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska and Alen Seranic, the Minister, as well as Nebojsa Seslija, the Director of "Srbija" Hospital has to be underlined.
A moment that you will always remember... Considering that I have spent most of my working time in the delivery room, every birth was unforgettable. I will quote a sentence that I often repeat - if I were born again, I would do the same thing.
A message to future nurse generations... In order to be a nurse, it is necessary to love that vocation. Young colleagues, through practical classes and conversations with other colleagues at the hospital, can recognize whether they have love for that vocation, and whether they want to pursue it.
