Oliver Schiffer rushes from room to room – the so-called bed space check is due. The specialist nurse for anesthesia and intensive care at Lukaskrankenhaus in Neuss looks at his patients, their condition, and how they are doing today. Is the tube leak-proof? Are the bandages in place? Does the drainage bag need to be replaced?

The 31-year-old reads the patient’s file, checks the technical equipment, and looks at the lines and numbers on the monitor that shows important health parameters. “At the start of the shift, it is important to get a detailed picture of all patients – it’s the only way I can meet everyone’s needs,“ he says.

The door to the patient’s room opens, and the ward physician comes in for rounds. Just in time – Oliver has just finished checking the bed space of his patients. The specialist nurse uses the time to plan the rest of the day: Who has a CT appointment? Who needs to have their breathing tubes replaced? “Organization and planning are extremely important so that we can provide the best possible care for everyone here,“ says Oliver as he prepares his patients’ medications.

The nurses scurry through the hallways at Lukaskrankenhaus – there is a lot going on. Several bed changes are scheduled for today. But before that, it’s time for Oliver to go on the next round – for another checkup and bathing. But this is not just about cleanliness. Oliver Schiffer wants to have a thorough look at his patients. “This is the only way I can properly check their wounds and detect possible changes,“ he explains.

It quickly becomes clear that the job of a nurse requires not only a high level of professional knowledge – but also, and above all, strong interpersonal skills. “This mix is what makes the profession so interesting for me,“ says Oliver. “I have direct contact with people who are in need of support at the time – and I can help.“

In the process, it’s often the smallest gestures that count. After all, what could be better than bringing a smile to a patient’s face, the 31-year-old asks.

No two days are the same. On some days the workload is so heavy that Oliver even forgets to drink. “Often I just don’t get around to it,“ the nurse says. “I’m just on my way to the break room – and then a call comes in or I have to help a colleague real quick.“ Oliver says he tries to be mindful of drinking at least one bottle of water per shift.

Every day, he and the other nurses walk thousands of steps across corridors, from bed to bed and from room to room. Not only mental fitness, but also physical fitness is important for nurses. After all, in addition to the dozens of kilometers, moving and re-bedding patients, for example, also takes a toll on the entire staff. “Luckily, I’m able to keep work and private life separate mentally,“ says Oliver, “but I always take the physical exertion with me when I go home.“ To keep the physical strain to a minimum, he makes sure to wear shoes that are as comfortable as possible, he says.

Oliver has always been athletic. That helps him now – in his daily work at the hospital. The nurse rarely has back or neck pain at the end of the day. But Oliver knows tired legs all too well after an eight-hour shift. “If I’ve had a lot to do during work and have been out and about properly, I notice at home how heavy my legs are,“ says the passionate runner. Once a year, he says, he buys new running shoes; the old ones used to become his work shoes. “I’m on my feet 90 percent of the time in the hospital, so it has to be as comfortable as possible.“

In the past, Oliver would often arrive home after a busy day, change right away – and go for a run. “The main thing for me then was to clear my head,“ he says. “Currently, I tend to use the bike ride from work to home for that.“

The route between the hospital and Oliver’s home is twelve kilometers long. A perfect distance, he finds, to become entirely awake before his shift and to process all the stories from the hospital after work. “In an intensive care unit, positive and negative experiences are very close together,“ says the nurse. “Unfortunately, the negative ones often stick around longer.“ That’s why it’s important to get his mind off things after work, he says.