title: How the other half lives.
abstract: If I need an extra shift to supplement my wage I volunteer to work as a carer in the nursing home. I am still paid as a staff nurse but perform care assistant duties. Both nurses and carers are there to work together to meet patients' daily living, nursing, emotional and social needs so, in that sense, there is little difference. In fact I enjoy the freedom away from drug rounds, wound management and administration duties. I can get back to the heart of nursing: delivering direct care to patients.
authors.affiliation: Nursing home in Suffolk at the time of writing this article.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buswell