KARACHI:
In Pakistan, the nursing profession is not held in high regard and nurses are accorded little respect. People incorrectly assume that nurses just take orders from physicians and fulfil them. Another misconception is that nurses do not have any professional qualifications and learn most of their skills at work. Through this letter, I want to debunk these misconceptions about the profession because most nurses acquire proper qualifications and training before entering the field.
To deal with people of different cultures and ethnicities, all nurses are guided by Leininger’s transcultural theory and the sunrise model. Given that physicians are not always available, nurses often take critical decisions themselves. During surgeries, nurses are required to relieve patients of pain and ensure that all measures are followed properly. All this requires in-depth knowledge of the guidelines and procedures, which most nurses are equipped with. Nurses also study biostatics to learn how to collect, present, and analyse data related to the patients, which helps in health policymaking.
Besides medical knowledge, nurses are required to communicate compassionately with patients and their families. They develop therapeutic and empathetic skills as part of their training and through their daily interaction with patients. They offer comfort and ease to distressed patients and their families. Despite having a range of skills and abilities, patients do not consider nurses’ advice credible. It is demoralising for the nurses to see their hard work and effort go unrecognised. People must appreciate nurses for their service and treat them with respect as they make significant contributions to our healthcare system.
Misbah Zafar
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2022.
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