industry & reform
“ I didn ’ t realise some of the stories they had , like being strangled or having to call the police .
Filmmaker Daniel Delaway ( left ) and nurse Jackson Heilbeck . Picture : Supplied .
In the line of duty
New short docu-series breaks down industry taboos .
By Eleanor Campbell
I
’ ve had a patient strangle me , throw poo on me , throw urine at me . I ’ ve been spat at ,” said registered nurse Jackson Heilberg in his short docu-series about violence in nursing .
“ The verbal abuse is mind-blowing ,” said another nurse .
“ It just makes an already challenging day harder when you have a patient that is really aggressive .”
Physical violence , aggression , verbal insults , mental health , and death are all unfortunate aspects of the daily life of a nurse .
A new web-series titled ‘ Wouldn ’ t you like to know ?’ has put the spotlight on the challenges and rewards of healthcare from the perspective of 15 nurses working across the profession .
Co-creator Jackson Heilberg said he hopes the episodes will encourage nurses to talk freely about what they go through every day .
“ I think it ’ s given them the realisation that they can speak out and they can be open about what they ’ re experiencing ,” said the 27-year-old nurse .
“ We don ’ t talk about these things because we feel like we ’ ll get reprised from our employer or the public .
“ This almost gives them like a licence to talk about some of these things : death and dying , violence and abuse .”
Garnering thousands of views , the first episode of the series heard graphic stories of nurses being threatened , kicked and punched .
One nurse recounted having to take out a restraining order after a patient harassed her and threatened to hurt her and her children .
Jackson said that the series has helped to highlight the rapid nature of cumulative violence faced by nurses on shift .
“ It was a mix of emotions throughout the hour or so that we interviewed each person ,” he said .
“ I knew there was physical violence , and I knew what I experienced , but I didn ’ t realise some of the stories they had , like being strangled or having to call the police .”
Working briefly in trauma , general medicine and paediatrics , Jackson has spent most of his nursing career in emergency wards .
He said originally the idea for the web series came about through his blog , The Nurse Break , which he started as a student in 2019 .
“ There were a lot of misconceptions about the role of a nurse , and I was meeting some really interesting nurses at the time ,” he said .
“ I really just wanted to capture some of the experiences of the people ’ s stories that I was meeting , and I turned it into a blog .” In developing the blog , Jackson said he wanted to showcase the varieties and complexities of nurses to build better understanding among different health workers .
“ Interviewing other healthcare workers , bringing in some of the multidisciplinary team together , helps us improve nursing because we can all learn how we work better together ,” he said
The Nurse Break has received over half a million views and has become a wellknown platform for nurses to volunteer to share their experiences .
“ We ’ ve interviewed people from students to directors of nursing , and CEOs of organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service ,” said Jackson .
“ It ’ s a space for health professionals to share what they do in their careers to collaborate and learn .”
Earlier this year , Jackson collaborated with his friend and filmmaker Daniel Delaway to produce the 12-part web series for YouTube .
The pair both met as volunteers for St John ’ s Ambulance Services while attending university in Melbourne .
“ I only experienced a little bit of violence when I was at St John ’ s … but they have it on a daily basis at ER ,” Daniel said .
“ I think it was pretty interesting to hear the specifics of people who have worked in the industry for 20 , 30 years .”
Daniel , whose work also explores the real-life stories of everyday people , said the process of creating the series was an “ eye-opener ”.
“ Some of the stories are amazing and very sad and very interesting ,” he said . “ The idea with these miniseries is to help encourage people to be more proactive about capturing their stories while they ’ re alive .”
In the most recent episode , the nurses were asked about their relationship with death .
“ That ’ s a unique aspect of our careers ,” Jackson said .
“ We are there at your birth and then when you die .
“ I think that ’ s a taboo that a lot of people don ’ t talk about openly .”
In the future , Jackson hopes to touch on rural and remote nursing , meeting the needs of LGBTQ + nurses and midwives , and paediatric experiences .
“ I would say that nurses have been a silent majority since the inception of nursing and it ’ s time to change that ,” he said . ■
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