Posted On: 2022-05-13 16:52:10
As per WHO, approximately 27 million men and women make up the global nursing and midwifery workforce. This accounts for nearly 50% of the global health workforce as of 2021.
There is a global shortage of health workers, in particular nurses and midwives, who represent more than 50% of the current shortage of health workers.
Nurses play a critical role in health promotion, disease prevention and delivering primary and community care. They provide care in emergency settings and will be key to the achievement of universal health coverage.
Achieving health for all will depend on there being sufficient numbers of well-trained and educated, regulated and well-supported nurses and midwives, who receive pay and recognition commensurate with the services and quality of care that they provide.
A nurse is someone who has finished a basic, generalist nursing education programme and is licensed to practice nursing in their nation by the proper regulatory authorities.
Basic nursing education is a professionally recognised programme of study that provides a comprehensive and good foundation in the behavioural, life, and nursing sciences, as well as post-basic education for speciality or advanced nursing practice.
The nurse is prepared and authorised to:
1. engage in the general scope of nursing practice, which includes health promotion, illness prevention, and care of physically ill, mentally ill, and disabled people of all ages in all health care and other community settings
2. to teach health care
3. to perform health care research
4. to supervise and train nursing and health care auxiliaries
5. to be involved in research.
What Makes Someone a Good Nurse? (As per relias.com)
Should be Caring
While it may seem obvious, most people think that all nurses enter the industry because "caring" is one of their top qualities—but this isn't always the case.
2. Good Communication Skills
A nurse's ability to communicate effectively is essential. The capacity to communicate successfully with other nurses, physicians, disciplines from other units, patients, and their families is critical to a nurse's function.
3. Empathy
It's all too easy for nurses to get desensitised or forget what it's like to be a "nonclinical" person after caring for thousands of patients over the course of their employment. A good nurse is one who empathises with each patient and makes a genuine effort to put themselves in their patients' position.
4. Attention to Detail
Nurses are clearly under a lot of stress as they try to combine getting orders from doctors with using their own knowledge, skills, and critical judgement to give the best patient care possible. When you add in the fact that you're caring for numerous patients at the same time, a human error seems practically unavoidable.
5. Ability to Solve Problems
While clinical information and training are provided throughout a nurse's education, on-the-job training is the most effective approach to developing a nurse's problem-solving abilities. Although years of training can help improve this talent, some nurses are born with superior problem-solving abilities.
6. Stamina
Nurses' physical demands are one of the most underappreciated components of their jobs. With patient lifting and adjustment, a nurse raises an average of 1.8 tonnes (about the weight of a hippo) in one shift. Nurses also walk an average of 4-5 kilometres every shift, according to research.
7. A good sense of humour
Nurses who can find time to laugh in such a psychologically and physically demanding job are often more effective in their professions. Because nurses deal with a wide range of high-stress circumstances, taking the time to appreciate leisure and adopt a lighter attitude can give significant stress reduction.
8. Critical Analysis
While a strong desire to learn is a vital quality in a nurse, putting that information into practice successfully necessitates the capacity to think critically—especially in high-stress situations. One of the most significant features of a professional nurse is high-functioning critical thinking abilities.
9. Time Management
Managing several patients, challenging care environments, and conflicting goals throughout the course of a 12-hour shift is no easy task. A significant personality feature for nurses is the capacity to manage time effectively, as well as the ability to focus on the most important concerns first, which isn't always the most demanding patient or family.
10. Experience
It's crucial to remember that when seasoned nurses retire from the healthcare business, they're leaving behind years of expertise and knowledge that can't be replaced fast. As nursing directors look for new nurses, the majority of available candidates are fresh graduate nurses, who lack experience and many patient care skills and knowledge that can only be gained through time and practice.
COVID WARRIORS:
COVID-19 has impacted the lives and health of over 1 million individuals worldwide. This overburdens many nations' healthcare systems, which, in turn, impacts healthcare personnel like nurses who are battling on the front lines to save the lives of those who are afflicted.
The major issues faced in the pandemic situation were the critical shortage of nurses, beds, and medical supplies, including personal protective equipment and, as reviews indicate, psychological changes and fears of infection among nursing staff.
Nurses are on the front lines, delivering comprehensive care for all sorts of patients, whether in everyday routine or during calamities. Nurses have an important role in healthcare systems since they account for the majority of healthcare professionals.
Their responsibilities in treating COVID-19 patients include
Tagging patients and detecting suspected infections
providing critical care in an emergency
assisting in decontamination and coordination with other healthcare providers
providing holistic nursing practices in managing multiple infections simultaneously
playing critical roles in expanding care services and dealing with relatives.
Nurses have compromised their comfort and safety to serve others throughout the COVID-19 epidemic. This is something they do daily. They continue to rise to the occasion, donning disguises and placing their own lives in danger to fulfil the mission.
Nurses fill a critical shortage of caretakers, boldly standing as the last line of defence against a fatal disease. At considerable personal cost, they have saved and continue to save lives.
They step in wherever they're needed, even going to high-risk places. They continue to work long hours and assist others selflessly. Covid 19 demonstrated great leadership in the face of extreme and unmanageable situations.
They look after the sick, lobby for public health policies, and help millions of people get vaccinated. Some of the nurses have even returned from retirement to help with this incredible task.
Author: Lubdha Dhanopia
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