Nursing
is one of the most lucrative but at the same time one of the tough professions
in the world. It is a profession within the health care sector focused on the
care of individuals, families, and communities so that they may attain,
maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life.
Nurses provide care within the ordering scope of doctors and this traditional
role has shaped the public image of nurses as care providers. Nurses may help
to coordinate the patient care performed by other members of a
multidisciplinary healthcare team. Nurses provide care both interdependently
with physicians and independently as nursing professionals.
Nurses are teachers, advocates, caregivers, critical thinkers, decision makers, communicators and innovators. They do so much more than care for individuals. Their presence round the clock has transformed lives. So, some believe nursing is an honourable profession, and nurses are the heart and soul of the healthcare system.
“Working
as a nurse isn’t what most people think it is,” says Sharmistha Joshi, a staff
nurse working at one of the well-known hospitals in the capital. “Medical staff
are taking care of too many patients and doing too many things at the same
time. We skip meals to complete our tasks. We don’t have time even to go to the
bathroom,” she said and added further, “And we have to try even harder to mix
up with other nurses – and especially to get along with our superiors.” Today’s
public is more educated about the important role nurses play in the medical
community.
Nurses
are on the frontlines of administering and evaluating the patients’ treatment.
For patients, nurses are the greatest advocate because they spend more time
with them and comprehensively moderate their progress. They know what symptoms
might be a red flag and can assess the effectiveness of treatment. They then
pass all this information to the doctor. Keeping this open dialogue is just one
of the countless things nurses do to ensure the quality of your care.
No doubt, nurses also provide invaluable emotional support. They are the counsellor and an anchor in the tumultuous waters of the hospital system. They give up holidays with their families and work through nights and weekends. This selflessness is also reflected in their commitment to their patients.
According to the report OECD published recently, for every 1,000 people in the population, Ireland tops with 15.2 compared to Haiti ranked lowest into 198th position with 0.11. Nepal ranked 186th on the list with 0.22 along with Norway in 2nd position with 14.84 while Finland stood 3rd with 14.33.
Among the South Asian nations, Maldives stands at 89th with 2.7, Sri Lanka 127th with 1.2, India 143rd with 0.8, Pakistan 179th with 0.31, Afghanistan 187th with 0.22, Bhutan 196th with 0.14, and Bangladesh is listed in 197th with 0.14.
Nurses are the foundation of any successful social healthcare programme and instrumental in implementing any private or government funded universal healthcare plan. The role of nurses for improving the health and wellbeing of a society is undeniable.
The nurses follow up with the patient after each appointment, design different care plans and facilitate transitions between clinical settings. Every hospital considers expanding the role of nurses and using their skills to the utmost in giving patients more coordinated, team-based care.
If
nurses have more responsibility over care management and a louder voice in
designing the workflow, not only will public health improve, but the health
system will also be leaner and more effective. Yes, nurses focus on caring for
patients, observing the course of illness, assessing functional status,
reporting the patient’s condition, health promotion and disease prevention,
teaching about health and illness, coordinating community resources to assist
families in the care of their members, and developing community partnerships to
enhance the health status.
Nurses serve as care coordinators, health coaches, disease managers and community
liaisons. Nurses can improve a patients’ outcome by going through their
medications and discussing any side effects by being proactive.
Although the ideal of nursing as both an art and science has been perceived as being educated and caring, but at the same time their status is considered subservient to physicians. Furthermore, nursing work has been described using negative terminology such as “hard, dirty, dangerous, low salary, few holidays, minimal chance of marriage and family, and poor image”.
However,
today nursing is one of the most rewarding careers in the developed countries.
Nurses are not only able to care for people who desperately need their help but
they also get paid a handsome salary at the same time. According to a UN
report, Luxembourg, United States, Norway, Canada, Australia, Denmark, United
Kingdom, Chile, New Zealand and Belgium are the nations paying high to the
nurses.
Nepal has nearly 45,000 registered nurses registered under the Nepal Nursing
Council (NNC) till the end of 2017. The NNC works towards the improvement in
nursing practice through many activities including the development of a policy
research group to influence policy development, a code of ethics for nurses,
and standards of nursing practice.
No doubt, health is an important social value. As the United Nations reports Nepal is considered to be one of the most rapidly changing nations in the world, where economic and demographic trends have placed tremendous pressure on its universal health and social service systems. While its societal values remain traditional, family structure and women’s roles are changing, the nursing profession in Nepal is addressing these challenges in numerous ways.
Nursing came late to Nepal, which remained closed to the world until mid-20th century. Earlier, the profession of nursing was neither well-respected nor a desired profession. Because nurses treated the sick and dying, the Nepali society assumed that they could spread diseases. Contact with nurses was shunned as: “If the nurse touches the corpse, the soul can’t rest in heaven.”
This view of nursing changed over time. Eventually, the daughters of important and influential people in society began adopting it as a profession. Nursing soon came to be looked upon as a noble profession.
As Nepal embarks into a new political structure there is a necessity to develop nursing education and profession in a wider spectrum for good health policy at the national and provincial level.
