Need a good working environment for nursing profession
Nursing is a quiet profession. Nurses often sacrifice their family life, lose their appetite and sleep to care for the health and lives of their patients. However, nurses are also the first to be reported, the first to be verbally and physically assaulted, and are not respected like doctors.
On the occasion of Vietnam Nursing Day (October 26), Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Master Bành Thị Quỳnh Nga - Head of Nursing Department, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital.
PV:October 26 is Vietnam Nurses Day, an occasion for society to honor nurses who silently care for and treat patients in medical facilities. Can you tell us more about the history, role and position of the nursing profession today?
Master Bang Thi Quynh Nga:In medical facilities, the role of nurses is extremely important. Nurses are the first to contact patients in medical facilities, and are also the last to send patients home after recovery. During the treatment process, nurses directly care for patients in medical facilities. In addition, they also provide knowledge for patients to comply with and actively cooperate with treatment; support patients with logistics, as well as handle administrative procedures.
In Vietnam in the past, we did not have a nursing profession. The traditional healer would also play the role of a doctor, pharmacist and nurse. It was not until the French colonialists built hospitals that the nursing profession was introduced. During the resistance war against France and the US, the role of nurses was clearly demonstrated. They had the duty to go to the main front to take care of wounded and sick soldiers, and began to develop plans to care for soldiers on the front.
Our Party and State have attached great importance and paid special attention to the Nursing profession. In 1982, the State allowed the Ministry of Health to issue the titles of hospital head nurse and department head nurse. In 1985, many hospitals across the country began to build their own Nursing Departments, and Nursing organizations began to separate from the Medical Departments. On October 26, 1990, the Vietnam Nursing Association was officially established. Since then, October 26 has been designated as Vietnam Nursing Day.
In the past, people still did not properly recognize the role and position of nursing when they assumed that nursing was simply the person who carried out treatment orders. However, in recent years, the view of the nursing profession has changed. Accordingly, when Circular 07/2011/TT-BYT dated January 26, 2011 of the Ministry of Health guiding nursing work on patient care in hospitals was issued, nursing was identified as an independent profession. In parallel with carrying out medical orders, nurses are proactive in assessing, examining, and making nursing diagnoses for patients; making care plans for patients, and re-evaluating the work plans they have implemented.
The role and position of nurses have been enhanced. This also means that nurses have new pressures and responsibilities. To complete their tasks well, nurses must regularly study, practice and improve their knowledge and skills.
PV:Can you tell us more about the pressures, hardships and difficulties of the nursing profession?
Master Bang Thi Quynh Nga:Nurses are under a lot of pressure and difficulty in their work. First, the large workload makes nurses very busy and they have almost no time to rest. They have to do a lot of work in the care process from helping patients with daily activities to supporting doctors and nurses in monitoring the condition of patients... Next, because the objects of service of nurses are patients, the patients' families are also customers. Therefore, at one time, nurses have to deal with many objects with large differences in level and awareness.
Nursing activities are related to the health and lives of others, so when working, one must be very focused, meticulous, highly specialized and always maintain a strong spirit, therefore, pressure, stress and fatigue are inevitable. During the process of working, nurses also face other pressures such as difficult and unsafe working environments while performing their duties (infectious diseases, violence against medical staff, etc.). Along with that is the lack of equipment to serve the work.
Due to the nature of patient care and treatment activities that take place 24/24 hours a day, nurses have to face densely arranged shifts, especially in departments and rooms that are short of human resources. In addition to working during office hours and on duty, nurses also have to perform other unexpected tasks such as transporting patients. I myself always remember such trips to transport patients to other hospitals. Throughout the trip, I had to constantly monitor the patient's progress and continuously implement solutions to maintain life and stabilize the patient.
The pressures of the nursing profession also come from the fact that society has not properly recognized the role and position; income is not commensurate with the contribution and effort... The majority of nurses are women. To complete their duties well, nurses find it difficult to fulfill their duties as wives and mothers. This is a sacrifice and disadvantage for the family, as well as the nurses themselves.
PV:To perform well in their duties, what qualities does a nurse need? What should a nurse do to cultivate those qualities, as well as how to overcome difficulties?
Master Bang Thi Quynh Nga:The first quality a nurse needs is a kind heart to love, sympathize, and share the pain and hardships that patients and their relatives are suffering. Only love and sympathy can help nurses get closer to patients, treating them as their own relatives to care for.
In the process of caring for patients, nurses need to be meticulous and careful, serious and cannot make hasty decisions because just one minute of carelessness and mistake of the nurse can make the patient pay with his own life. Nursing profession is closely linked to patient care, night shifts with a large workload, patients constantly changing... and even no days off, holidays. If you are not patient, love the job and are willing to endure high pressure, you certainly will not be able to survive in this profession.
In the process of caring for patients, nurses will have to face many situations. Therefore, nurses must have quick reactions to grasp the nature of the problem, have skills to handle situations as well as handle changes, quickly and correctly identify abnormalities in patients to coordinate with doctors in treating and caring for patients.
It can be said that nurses are the people closest to patients, understand patients the best, and at the same time, are also the people who can best comfort patients and their relatives. Possessing good, standard, and flexible communication skills not only helps nurses complete their work well but is also a valuable spiritual medicine for patients...
Particularly for nurses in hospitals specializing in obstetrics and pediatrics, the job requirements are even higher when the subjects of service are the vulnerable, always receiving the attention of the whole society. Under the supervision of many people, nurses need to try harder to satisfy patients.
In addition to their own efforts, nurses also need the care and support of leaders and family members. This care and support is reflected in creating a comfortable working and living environment for them to develop, concentrate and focus on their work.
PV:Through monitoring recent medical incidents and crises, we have noticed that there are many incidents related to the expertise and attitude of nurses. What should nurses do to avoid unfortunate incidents from happening?
Master Bang Thi Quynh Nga:Medical incidents in healthcare facilities often occur during shift changes. To prevent and limit medical incidents, hospitals need to develop and standardize the process of handing over shifts between nurses; there needs to be a system of solutions to accurately identify patients and treatment orders.
Each nurse must always clearly identify their position to strive to self-study, improve themselves and perform their duties well. During the process of caring for and treating patients, nurses need to increase communication with patients and their families to coordinate the implementation of treatment orders.
Hospitals need to organize training courses, create conditions for nurses to participate in learning and training in the hospital and at higher level hospitals. In particular, it is necessary to pay attention to training communication skills, emotional control skills, and regularly practice with simulated bad situations to have the skills to handle them properly.
PV:The current situation shows that nurses' income is not high; there is a shortage of nurses in many medical facilities; many nurses have left the profession... As an insider, how do you perceive this situation and what needs to be done to change it?
Master Bang Thi Quynh Nga:Currently, the shortage of nurses is not only happening in the country but also in the world. Because the nursing profession is hard, people in many developed countries do not choose this profession. To attract the shortage of nurses, many countries have had open policies to "import" nurses, even have settlement policies.
In the country, the shortage of nurses and the abandonment of nurses has become a very clear trend. This situation occurs even in central and provincial hospitals. Therefore, in recent times, hospitals have made great efforts to recruit nurses.
The reason for the above situation is the nature of nursing work, which is difficult and stressful, plus the income from the job is not commensurate with the effort put in. In some hospitals with many patients, the income of nurses is quite good compared to the average income of workers. However, in district hospitals and hospitals with few patients, there are places where nurses still have to suffer from "wage arrears".
To change the above situation, it is thought that all levels and sectors need to pay attention to building a safe working environment with a strong enough legal corridor so that nurses can work with peace of mind; fully arrange essential medical equipment to serve the care and treatment of patients to reduce the workload of nurses.
There should be policies to support nurses in their studies to improve their qualifications; income support for nurses in the early stages of their careers - income is still low. It is necessary to create development opportunities, build the right motivation for nurses... As we know, in many developed countries and private hospital corporations, they have built a new system. There, nurses can develop to become department heads, deputy directors, hospital directors.
PV:Thank you!
