The meeting commenced with Dr. V.K. Singh, Managing Director of InnovatioCuris Foundation of Healthcare & Excellence, introducing the IC InnovatorCLUB and the motive behind having “Professionalism in Nursing” as the theme for the edition of the meeting. He mentioned the importance of nursing as Health cannot survive without nursing. He thanked speakers and participants for taking out the time for the session and introduced Captain Sandhya Shankar Pandey as Moderator of the session and handed over the session to her.
Capt. Sandhya gave everyone a warm welcome to the meeting. She mentioned the pandemic era and how, despite the pandemic still being ongoing, nurses had emerged victorious. There has been a lot of admiration and recognition for the profession, as well as a resurgence of its identity and respect. But what about the feelings of the professionals?
First and foremost, are they prepared to accept this full acceptance and capitalise on this chance once their profession has truly reaped all the rewards and profits they have accrued over the past 2.5 years? Or is it engaging enough to attract the young people of the next generation, ensuring that this is the career that will allow them to develop, grow, and have a great life ahead, or is it actually well-ingrained in our policies, institutions, and educational system, ensuring that we actually nurture the values in the generation to be carried forward.
Next, Captain Sandhya introduced Dr. Raminder Kalra, the first panellist, who is a renowned academician in the nursing community and eminently known for bridging the gap between service and academics. She then introduced the second panellist, Capt. Indira Rani, a highly qualified nurse with an M.Phil. who decided to work in the hospital and had become an expert in nursing operations. Afterwards, Captain Sandhya introduced Dr. Vinod K, the director of nursing at Medanta, the medical facility, as the third panellist. Vinod is the first Indian nurse to graduate and enrol in an advanced management degree program at Indian School of Business. Last but not the least, Captain Sandhya introduced Kajal Gupta, who is in the process of developing into a qualified nurse.
Capt. Sandhya then introduced herself. She is currently in charge of the nursing services for the hospitals in the Fortis healthcare network. She also oversees the state of Delhi and NCR for the Association of Nurse Executive of India. Capt. Sandhya began the session with her questionnaire. The first query she asked to the panel was ‘What does professionalism in nursing mean to you, and do you believe it to be important?’
Capt. Indira expressed her appreciation for the invitation to participate on the panel for the question on the distinction between professionalism and profession. According to Captain Indira, professionalism is always found in knowledge, skills, and competence and is protected by ethics. Professionalism in nursing also entails exhibiting a steadfast dedication to the field and a determination to consistently provide the greatest standard of care to patients while respecting the principles of accountability, respect, and integrity.
In response to the question of why professionalism is important, she said that it is a symbol of commitment, dependability, and responsibility. It also embodies the organization’s ideals and makes a strong impression. Additionally, it promotes cooperative connections and open lines of communication while assisting in ensuring and protecting the health as well as wellbeing of patients. The environment and effectiveness of healthcare institutions are positively impacted by professionalism. Do you believe that nurses at different levels in hospitals display proper behaviour consistent with being a professional nurse?
The next question Captain Sandhya posed to Mr. Vinod said that nurses in hospitals at various levels do indeed behave appropriately as professionals. He asserted that, in his opinion, there is no use in complaining because, in order to ensure that your nurses meet your expectations, something must be created. He continued by saying that the most important aspect of professionalism is for nurses to prioritise their patients. Communication is the second area that may need improvement. Effective communication can solve 99 percent of healthcare problems. The following step is to work together. Collaboration between departments within your own organisation, or teams made up of departments that care for patients. The final item is adopting a positive outlook.
Do you believe that we are instilling the appropriate elements when we are growing and moulding the nurses of the next generation? Capt. Sandhya then asked Dr. Raminder. The basic requisition according to Dr. Raminder, is a thorough curriculum updated in accordance with NEP, appropriate infrastructure, a wealth of clinical experience, faculty serving as role models, a faculty preceptor student model, mentor-mentee and counselling services, and strong leadership. This is leading to some issues, so areas of worry include unfilled faculty posts that result in a lack of clinical supervision, non-attendance at colleges, a dearth of clinical experience offered, and exorbitant clinical experience fees.
As the discussion continued, Capt. Sandhya inquired Capt. Indira the following question: Whether they hire the correct kind of nurses, and if not, then what difficulties do they run into when deciding whether or not to hire them? She excitedly said that her move from boardroom to behind nurse had been a really fulfilling one. The six traits of today’s next-generation nurses, she continued, are: champions of consistency; proponents of value; care equalisers; “tuned in” to the medicine crisis; naturally tech savvy; and the patient’s advocate. In conclusion, nurses of the new or future generation are empowered and involved. They investigate the priorities of nurses who have been in practise for 10 years or less. They are adaptable, self-assured, and prepared for change. Additionally, they desire something unique and difficult, and they advance swiftly in their careers. The difficulties in attracting younger generations, shrinking finances, the rise of nursing specialties, a lack of communication amongst recruiters, the need for night shift leaders, and problematic relationships were only a few of the difficulties noted by Capt. Indira.
The difficulties in hiring and keeping employees come from their desire for flexible schedules, a sense of appreciation, and engagement. Only then will we be able to strike a balance if the entire nursing generation updates themselves to match this nursing generation.
Capt. Sandhya asked Mr. Vinod once more, “Can you give me any examples from your day-to-day situations where you have been concerned about the missing links?” In response to the above question Mr. Vinod gave the following responses that always put the patient first. For instance, if I don’t want to sponge bathe the patient, let’s take him or her to the bathroom.
Effective communication is the second factor. For a nurse, passing over is the most crucial role. A patient’s life could be lost if the patient is not appropriately turned over to the next staff member. The third factor is teamwork and mentoring. For instance, veteran nurses must appropriately train new nurses without disparaging them. The collaboration is based on the idea that everyone has an equal role to perform. The fourth crucial factor is having a positive attitude. For instance, if you begin your shift with a bad mood, mistakes may be made that endanger the life of a patient. The second is to stay current with your information. Through social media and other means, you can stay informed. Be honest and accountable for your work, for instance, by checking and monitoring vital signs and recording the medications you have administered. The most crucial factor in ensuring that patient care is safe in hospitals is ethical behaviours.
After that, Capt. Sandhya asked Ms. Kajal Gupta, trainee nurse, if she was happy with the way she had been trained in her institute, how she was being mentored, and what advice she would provide to her coworkers who wanted to become successful nurses. Kajal responded that she can say she is satisfied for three key reasons. The first is that she is extremely happy and grateful to be a student at Holy Family College of Nursing, one of the top nursing schools in the nation. The second is exposure to practical work, or clinical experience, which you obtain in hospitals. The institution’s additional efforts and investment come in third. She continued by elaborating on each of the three topics, such as the necessity of clinical experience for students in order for them to get exposure and confidence. Additionally, the college has made particular efforts to boost the students’ confidence. Various mentors are assigned, and special mentoring programmes are offered. . Finally, she wants to convey to her coworkers that it is crucial to develop physical fitness and stamina early on because a career in nursing requires it. So it’s crucial to keep healthy habits. The second step is to learn all that is being taught to you.
Capt. Sandhya concluded the meeting by thanking the panellists. For vote of thanks she further extended it to Mr. Sachin Gaur, Director of Operations at the InnovatioCuris Foundation of Healthcare & Excellence. He concluded with the notion that a strong foundation of healthcare delivery is nursing. The nursing community is a capable keeper. It mostly controls the emotional impact of receiving medical care. He gave a heartfelt respect to the nursing profession and the sacrifices made by the healthcare industry.
Compiled by: “Clarion Smith Kodamanchili”
