Nurses are undervalued, underpaid, unsafe and Unsupported: Silence must be heard - Trishna Shrestha

 

Nurses are undervalued, underpaid, unsafe and  Unsupported: Silence must be heard - Trishna Shrestha

Time and again, we get to hear that certain number of nurses is fired from their workplace. In spite of heavy workload and over duty hours, they are underpaid. There are heartbreaking stories of nurses whose parents have invested huge amount on her education and after graduation have been working in hospital for months without any remuneration.

Today, from a classical bedside nurse, nursing professional has transited to many other scopes like manager, administrator, researcher, educator, health coach, entrepreneur, travel nurse and many more. Thus, performing wide spectrum of roles, nursing professionals are still undervalued, underpaid, unsafe and unsupported. There is growing dissatisfaction and disgruntlement that is being shouted from mouth of nurses – silently. Government health centers need a total of 46,000 nurses. But only 15,000 have been employed so far, according to Nursing and Social Security Division under the Department of Health Services. There is this deficit because the government has not increased the number of posts for nurses and same problem is in private hospitals. This causes the nurse – patient ratio mismatched ultimately resulting in work overload, poor patient care, medication error, patient dissatisfaction and infuriation. Now think, is this sane to fire nurse stating dissatisfaction from her work by the management? Or is this fair to blame a nurse for not attending to patients, behaving rude and failing to provide services on time by patient parties?

Despite of workload and longer duty hours, nurses are not getting the salary they deserve. There are many nurses who have completed studies and recruited in a post receiving less than Rs.5000 per month and other nurses volunteering for months and months with full efforts to care patient. Nurses have no job stability. They feel unsafe as at any time they may get fire without any reason. Those nurses who advocate for their patients and ensure they get care they require are struggling their voice to be heard while trying to advocate for themselves. Nurses’ problems have been overshadowed by the management. In workplace, nurses have been devalued because of perspective that they possess superficial knowledge. They are undervalued because of the perception that it is old fashioned, feminine, caring and compassionate profession. Most people have out looked nurses as lovely, caring, giving some medications and dressing some wounds, but they really don’t know what knowledge and responsibility they hold. But all these perception regarding this profession has to be changed.

If you want to change the world, start with yourself. If you want to bring change in nursing profession, start from nurses. Change doesn’t happen overnight. There is no button that’s pushed to magically alter everything. Change happen little by little. Hour by hour. Day by day. All you have to be is persistence. Nurses should study more to make theoretical strong apply that knowledge practically in clinical. More focus should be given to evidence based learning. Independent nursing care can be given if we become ourselves more competent. Do not limit your creativity in your work and enhance your personal development to change the attitude of others. Unity among nurses should be established to raise the voice against exploitation. Beside from nurses, organization should appreciate and award the role models, “employee of the month/week” and encouraging them to take initiatives, conduct professional and social skill development programme. Nursing organization should work actively to protect and promote professional right.

Nurses are the hospitality of the hospital and nursing care has always been a major component of health systems. Thus in order to address the current problems of nurses, the government must ensure that hospitals comply with international labor laws and end unethical exploitation of nurses.

Thank You!

-Trishana Shrestha

B.Sc.Nursing

Pepsicola, Kathmandu

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