A good working environment is needed for nurses.
Nursing is a quiet profession. Nurses often sacrifice their personal lives and family, sacrificing sleep and meals to care for the health and lives of patients. However, nurses are also the first to face complaints, the first to be subjected to medical abuse—both verbal and physical—and are not as respected as doctors.
To commemorate Vietnam Nurses' Day (October 26th), Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Ms. Banh Thi Quynh Nga, Head of the Nursing Department, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital.
PV:October 26th is Vietnam Nurses' Day, an occasion for society to honor the nurses who silently care for and treat patients in healthcare facilities. Could you elaborate on the history, role, and current standing of the nursing profession?
Ms. Banh Thi Quynh Nga, M.A.In healthcare facilities, the role of nurses is extremely important. Nurses are the first point of contact with patients and the last to see them off after recovery. During treatment, nurses directly care for patients in healthcare facilities. In addition, they provide knowledge to ensure patients adhere to and actively cooperate with treatment; they assist patients with logistical matters and handle administrative procedures.
In Vietnam, nursing was not a traditional profession. Traditional healers would also act as doctors, pharmacists, and nurses. It wasn't until the French colonialists built hospitals that nursing was introduced. During the resistance wars against the French and the Americans, the role of nurses became clearly evident. They were tasked with caring for the wounded and sick on the front lines, and developing plans to support soldiers on the battlefield.
The Party and State of Vietnam have attached great importance to and paid special attention to the nursing profession. In 1982, the State authorized the Ministry of Health to issue the titles of hospital head nurse and department head nurse. In 1985, many hospitals nationwide began to establish their own nursing departments, and nursing organizations began to separate from medical departments. On October 26, 1990, the Vietnam Nurses Association was officially established. Since then, October 26th has been designated as Vietnam Nurses' Day.
Previously, people did not properly understand the role and position of nurses, assuming that they were simply people who carried out medical orders. However, in recent years, the view of the nursing profession has changed. Accordingly, with the issuance of Circular 07/2011/TT-BYT dated January 26, 2011, by the Ministry of Health guiding nursing work in patient care in hospitals, nursing has been recognized as an independent profession. Alongside carrying out medical orders, nurses are now empowered to proactively assess, examine, and diagnose patients; develop care plans for patients; and evaluate the work they have done.
The role and position of nurses have been elevated. This also means that nurses face new pressures and responsibilities. To perform their duties well, nurses must constantly study, train, and improve their knowledge and skills.
PV:Could you elaborate on the pressures, hardships, and difficulties of being a nurse?
Ms. Banh Thi Quynh Nga, M.A.Nurses face immense pressure and difficulties in their work. Firstly, the heavy workload keeps them very busy, leaving them with virtually no time for rest. They must perform numerous tasks during patient care, from assisting with daily activities to supporting doctors and nurses in monitoring patients' conditions. Secondly, because the patients they serve are patients, and their families are also their clients, nurses must interact with many different groups of people with vastly different levels of education and understanding at any given time.
Nurses' work involves the health and lives of others, so they must be highly focused, meticulous, and highly professional, and maintain a strong spirit. Therefore, pressure, stress, and fatigue are unavoidable. During their work, nurses also face other pressures such as difficult and unsafe working environments (infectious diseases, violence against healthcare workers, etc.). This is compounded by a lack of equipment to support their work.
Due to the nature of patient care and treatment, which takes place 24/7, nurses face numerous scheduled shifts, especially in departments with staff shortages. In addition to regular working hours and shifts, nurses often have to perform other unexpected tasks such as transporting patients. I still vividly remember those patient transfers. Throughout the journey, I had to constantly monitor the patient's condition, continuously implementing measures to maintain their life and stability.
The pressures of the nursing profession also stem from the fact that society has not yet properly recognized the role and position of nurses; income is not commensurate with the contributions and efforts they put in... The vast majority of nurses are women. To successfully fulfill their duties, nurses find it very difficult to also fulfill their roles as wives and mothers. This is a sacrifice and disadvantage for the family, as well as for the nurses themselves.
PV:What qualities do nurses need to possess to perform their duties effectively? What can nurses do to cultivate these qualities, and how can they overcome challenges?
Ms. Banh Thi Quynh Nga, M.A.The first essential quality for a nurse is a compassionate heart, capable of loving, empathizing with, and sharing the pain and hardships that patients and their families endure. Only love and empathy can help nurses connect with patients, treating them as if they were family members.
In the process of caring for patients, nurses need to be meticulous, cautious, serious, and cannot make hasty decisions because just one moment of carelessness or mistake can cost the patient their life. The nursing profession is closely linked to patient care, night shifts with heavy workloads, constantly changing patient conditions… and even days off, holidays. If you are not patient, passionate about the profession, and willing to withstand high pressure, you will certainly not be able to stay in this profession.
During patient care, nurses face many situations. Therefore, nurses must be quick-witted to grasp the true nature of the problem, possess the skills to handle situations and changes, and quickly and accurately identify abnormalities in patients in order to coordinate with doctors in treating and caring for patients.
It can be said that nurses are the people closest to patients, understand them best, and are also the best at comforting patients and their families. Possessing good, professional, and flexible communication skills not only helps nurses perform their jobs well but also serves as a valuable source of emotional support for patients...
For nurses working in hospitals specializing in obstetrics and pediatrics, the demands of the job are even higher, as they serve vulnerable individuals who receive constant attention from society. Under the scrutiny of many people, nurses need to strive harder to satisfy patients.
Besides their own efforts, nurses also need the care and support of their superiors and family members. This care and support is demonstrated by creating a comfortable working and living environment so that they can develop and focus on their work.
PV:Based on recent medical incidents and crises, it's evident that many are related to the professional competence and attitude of nurses. What can nurses do to prevent such unfortunate incidents from happening?
Ms. Banh Thi Quynh Nga, M.A.Medical incidents in healthcare facilities frequently occur during shift changes. To prevent and minimize these incidents, hospitals need to establish and standardize shift handover procedures among nurses; and implement systems to accurately identify patients and treatment orders.
Each nurse must always clearly define their role in order to strive for self-improvement, self-development, and effective performance of their duties. During the patient care and treatment process, nurses need to enhance communication with patients and their families to ensure effective implementation of medical orders.
Hospitals need to organize training courses and create opportunities for nurses to participate in learning and training both within the hospital and at higher-level hospitals. Particular attention should be paid to training in communication skills, emotional control skills, and regular practice with simulated adverse situations to develop the ability to handle them correctly.
PV:The current situation shows that nurses' incomes are not high; there is a shortage of nurses in many medical facilities; and many nurses are leaving the profession... As someone working in the field, how do you view this situation and what needs to be done to change it?
Ms. Banh Thi Quynh Nga, M.A.Currently, the shortage of nurses is not only occurring domestically but also globally. Because nursing is a demanding profession, many people in developed countries do not choose this career. To attract the missing nurses, many countries have implemented open policies to "import" nurses, and some even have immigration programs.
In Vietnam, the shortage of nurses and the trend of nurses leaving the profession are very clear. This situation is occurring even in central and provincial hospitals. Therefore, hospitals have made great efforts to recruit nurses in recent times.
The reasons for this situation are the demanding and stressful nature of nursing work, coupled with income that does not adequately reflect the effort put in. In some hospitals with a large number of patients, nurses' incomes are relatively high compared to the average worker's income. However, in district-level hospitals or hospitals with fewer patients, some nurses are still facing the problem of unpaid wages.
To change the aforementioned situation, it is suggested that all levels and sectors should focus on building a safe working environment with a sufficiently strong legal framework to ensure nurses can work with peace of mind; and provide adequate essential medical equipment to serve the care and treatment of patients, thereby easing the burden on nurses.
Policies are needed to support nurses in their further education and professional development; to provide income support for nurses in their early stages of employment, when their income is still low. Opportunities for development and the right motivation for advancement are essential. As we know, in many developed countries and private hospital corporations, they have built a new system where nurses can advance to become heads of departments, deputy directors, or hospital directors.
PV:Thank you!
