Darja Tadic is a registered nurse. She has been selflessly contributing to the healthcare system in Bosnia and Herzegovina for years. She is currently employed at the Public Health Institution, Primary Health Care Center Doboj.

Motivation and decision to choose the nursing profession... She began her career when she was only 20 years old, which showed her passion and dedication to help others from an early age. Her first experience was extremely significant because she had the opportunity to focus on working with patients and to acquire important skills that helped her grow and progress professionally. It all started with great enthusiasm, which still exists to this day. An extremely noble profession that requires a huge amount of empathy, love and strength is precisely her reason for doing it.

Current job and description of a working day... After performing the role of Head Nurse of the Family Medicine Service, I have recently been working as the Head Nurse of the Multidisciplinary Center for the Prevention of Diseases, Conditions and Injuries. A lot of tasks, meetings with other departments, organization of prevention activities, planning to mark important dates in the health calendar, planning and performing systematic health checks and other duties are part of my everyday life. Prevention requires a lot of planning in order to yield the results.

Nurses in Bosnia and Herzegovina... Our country has a healthcare system completely adapted to patients. However, nursing has its difficulties primarily due to the lack of staff, poor economic situation and heavy workload. However, our calling is such that regardless of the difficulties we encounter, we always respond to all work obligations that lie ahead of us with full capacity. On the other hand, nurses in BiH have the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of patients, making their profession very emotionally rewarding. Our work is crucial in providing basic healthcare, especially in smaller communities and rural areas where access to health services is often limited. Although we do our best to respond to all the tasks that lie ahead of us, the position of nurses in BiH is not at an enviable level. Disrespect, workload, lack of staff, underpaid work, as well as verbal and physical assaults are what we witness. These are all problems that we face. I repeat, despite everything, we do our job professionally and responsibly.

Shortcomings in the Institution you are employed at... Primary Health Care Center Doboj is doing an excellent job dealing with the challenges faced on a daily basis. There is a great deal of understanding and respect within organizational structures and all decisions are made jointly. So far, we managed to address all the duties imposed on us daily.

The good sides of this profession...  The feeling that our quick response saved someone's life, that we helped someone, that we are at disposal in a hopeless situation, that  we calmed an upset and worried mother using a calm voice, that we brought a smile to someone's face during a home visit are immeasurable and the best feelings in the world. That is the good side of our profession.

The nurse-patient and nurse-doctor relationship... The nurse-patient as well as nurse-doctor relationships are very important. For a team, to function well, the relationship between nurses and doctors must be built on respect, appreciation and understanding ultimately leading to a high quality relationship with the patient. Patient satisfaction is our greatest reward.

The outflow of health professionals from BiH... Regardless of how much we love our job and perform it responsibly, our subsistence is still the most important thing. Increased income is the only way to keep our professionals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Everything else can be arranged in some way. Many health professionals feel that they are not given enough opportunities for professional advancement and training in BiH. There are better training, specialization and career advancement opportunities abroad.

Covid-19 pandemic; work and conditions... The coronavirus pandemic put us all in a new work regime, but I must emphasize that the Primary Health Care Center Doboj responded promptly and efficiently to the challenges emerging day after day. The organization of work and staff, the launch of several Covid infirmaries, the organization of a day hospital and many other challenges have contributed to our better overall functioning, stronger team cooperation and much better understanding between colleagues, regardless of which department we worked at.

The importance of additional training for health professionals... As someone who participated in various trainings organized by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska or by Fami Foundation, I believe that additional training is of great importance for each of us. Personal growth, professional development, learning and new acquaintances are the benefits that training brings, contributing to our competences and motivation for future professional work and advancement.

Fami Foundation’s support to nurses... The importance of Fami Foundation is really huge. It has done a lot to raise nursing to a higher level, to strengthen primary health care centers, to strengthen community nursing and patients’ access to nursing care and to make additional training in various areas of health more accessible. Cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska has contributed to the introduction of innovations in nursing, raising the quality of service provision through standard operating procedures, as well as to better cooperation of health institutions throughout Republika Srpska.

A memorable moment in your career... There are many moments in my career that I will remember as the ones that shaped who I am today. But I would single out a patient with a massive open postoperative wound on her chest with an intrahospital infection that, with the support of the doctor, with whom I worked at the time and with full trust, I treated until closure. The patient's trust, the look on her face and our relationship that remained respectful are precisely the reason for pursuing this profession.

A message to future generations... Following my reply to the previous question I would end this interview and advise young people not to choose this vocation if they are not ready to give themselves to this profession without hesitation, with full dedication, love, empathy and understanding, as well as be willing to pursue personal and professional development.