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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