The International Nurses Day Praising, Thanking and Protecting Nurses amid COVID-19
International Nurses day is the perfect opportunity to give due recognition to the frontline healthcare official we profoundly address as nurses.
Every year on May 12, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) celebrates International Nurses Day in remembrance of the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s. The celebration conveys the significant role that nurses play in the society by bestowing their benevolent contributions with an empathetic disposition and sincere commitment upon the patients in a surge of best health care services. Nurses are the frontline workers against the pandemic COVID-19. Their earnest efforts to safeguard the health of the patients amidst medical insurgency deserves due recognition. Around the world, nurses are working incessantly to extend healthcare services to pandemic patients.
International Nurses day is the perfect opportunity to give due recognition to the frontline healthcare official we profoundly address as nurses. This day emphasizes the importance of learning, sharing of expertise, and best practice of nursing care to the ailing patient as it is the care that cures the disease apart of the prescribed medicine. The International Nurses day is also important for nurses as it is based on a yearly theme on various dimensions of how to achieve the development goals. The goal serves as a time-bound achievable blueprint for reducing poverty and improving lives. In addition, it provides a once in a year/generational chance to define what needs to be done to deliver more efficient healthcare services. Furthermore, this day provides an important role in making nurses well informed, advised, encouraged, and supported to deliver better works. The theme for International Nurses Day 2020, Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Nursing the World to Health, demonstrates the pivotal role of the nurses in addressing a wide range of health challenges which will inspire fellow nurses and make the aware public of their contribution to healthcare and health management.
On this International Nurses Day, GCS Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Ahmedabad in association with AHPI (Association of Healthcare Providers, India) organized a unique program to celebrate the fighting spirit of Nurses & to thank the hard work and contributions of our nurses by exploring some of their daily challenges and especially in the decisive circumstances of COVID-19. A unique online panel discussion was arranged on where Nursing Heads from leading Hospitals of Ahmedabad joined and interacted with each other and shared their views in the view of Nursing Day on various topics such as Challenges faced by Nurses – Short-staffing in a hospital setting is a top concern for nurses, untrained staff, mental trauma, no family support to treat the patients during present pandemic scenario, residential societies are imposing restrictions, bereft of psychological support from family and friends. Academic changes in nursing profession – Proper training/ examinations/ online courses required, occupational health hazard, workplace violence like bullying, harassment, odd hours along with double duty, less awareness of infection control practices, facing problems to meet the expectations of patient, proper coordination between personal and professional life, the measures taken by the government and hospitals to support nurses, provide conducive environment with necessary precaution measure, maintaining worklife balance, preparedness to fight COVID-19, etc. need to be inculcated in the due course of time for the nurses
Short-staffing in a hospital setting is a top concern for nurses, untrained staff, mental trauma, no family support to treat the patients during present pandemic scenario, residential societies are imposing restrictions, bereft of psychological support from family and friends.
Eminent Panelists – Sharmistha Nayi (Nursing Superintendent, KD Hospital), Arti Pandya (Nursing Superintendent, Shalby Hospital), Sonal Prajapati (Nursing Superintendent, GCS Hospital), Bhaskar Shirahatti (Sr. Manager, HCG Hospital), Surya Darji (Nursing Superintendent, CIMS Hospital) along with Moderator Neha Lal (Sr. GM Ops & HR – GCS Hospital, Secretary – AHPI, Gujarat Chapter) participated in this discussion. In conclusion, Ms. Neha Lal (Moderator) congratulated as well as applauded the skirmishing and combating strength of nurses with a notion of belief that with change in the continuing professional development program offered to practicing nurses many of the key challenges currently faced could be addressed. This, however, would require influencing and negotiating skills at practice, area, and national levels with a desire from practice nurses to engage in leadership and communication skills development. With these inputs, a real change could be achieved which would improve the medical practitioner and patient satisfaction. It creates an avenue for nurses from different part of the world to unite, use the opportunity to make contact with front line staff and keeping the aspect of this year’s theme,” nurses a force for change – a vital source for health” augments that nurses are the principle force for the change provided for the nursing care and they are responsible, well versed healthcare professionals that is every country around the globe needs. We take the privilege to salute our nurses for all their hard work and dedication especially at the juncture of unprecedented time due to prominence of corona virus.
Composed by Neha Lal
