In this article you will read on RESTORING THE IMAGE OF NURSING THROUGH EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP 2020
RESTORING THE IMAGE OF NURSING THROUGH EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
- It is the responsibility of all nurses to uplift he image of nursing
profession - From the beginning, nurses were majorly women who cared for the sick
- By gender status, the female profession was viewed weak
- They were expected to ne subservient to men culturally
- Changes have occurred in lune with feminine status, but one tends to ask whether there has been complete gender equality achievements
PUBLICPERCEPTION
Today, this is the major stereotypical effect that has been imposed on nurses
- – as the medical doctor’s
handmaiden - – the matron
- – the sex angel
- – the spinster.
DR. BEATRICE MAY BANDA
WHY THE EMPHASIS ON LEADERSHIP
- The reason strong nursing leadership is critical
- The key approach is through transformational means
- To change the existed to the desired
- But how do we achieve this when most of us, nurses, begin our career without thoughts of becoming a leader?
- But in reality, we are mandated to produce leaders in all levels of the health care system
- There is need for nursing representation in advocacy matters for ongoing reforms in the system
READ THIS: Young Nurses are the future of Nursing
HOWDO WE AS NURSES, RESTORE THIS IMAGE
- Use of Evidence when making decisions.
- There is need to identify and develop evidence-based improvements to care in line with nursing practice, education
and research. - To contribute to policy changes across the health care system.
- This will boost the probability of being seen and accepted as
leaders - To leader, one needs to be knowledgeable, talk from facts
- This places nurse leaders to be availed a place at discussion tables cause they bring valuable contributions
- It is not easy to speak the language of policy and engage in the political process effectively
- So there is need for cohesion, that support which knits everything together through learning and consulting
- Then, your voice in health policy decision making begin to be heard and identified in advisory committees, commissions, and boards where policy decisions are made
- This will inevitably advance health systems to improve patient care
NEED FOR NURSE LEADERS TO CLOSELY SUPERVISE NURSING ACTIVITIES
- Nursing activities include clinical practice and theoretical learning
- Are we supervising adequately the nursing courses from theory to practice
- Do experienced nurses take time to check the practice in the clinical area
- Do nurse lecturers evidently check to align if what they teach is what is happening in practice for their Students
WHAT IS THE PRACTICE?
- E.g. during a handover one day in my suoervision
- Use of nursing care chart
Student nurse needed to be with staff nurse when handing over - Only one nursing problem – Risk of nosocomial infection, objective to prevent infection, intervention windows opened to open air and health talk given on infection
prevention, evaluation patient left comfortable. Is the objective being evaluated here - To understand the issue, patient was asked if they were given health talk as indicated. Patient denied!!!
QUESTION – WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WAY THE PUBLIC PERCEIVES US?
- Is it the public? Is it the doctors? Is it the nurses? Who is at fault?
- Thisis the real challenge for nurse leaders
- So this needs to be changed.
- Why is it difficult to change this perception, within and away from our workplace?
Question – who are the nurse leaders? Directors of Nursing, the Chiefs/
Principal/Senior Nursing Officers?
- Are we losing ground.
- Huge limitations – limits involvement in decision making processes
- Do we sit in meetings and say nothing?
- We need to cohesively make effort
HOW CAN RESEARCH ASSIST UPLIFTING THE IMAGE OF NURSING
- We have nurses academically achieving the Doctoral and Masters levels.
- Howmany new nursing models have been developed that will address the quality of care needed on the African Context?
- Can we reflect on the existing taught nursing models – OREMS and
the Roper Logan? - Are these models effectively addressing our nursing problems in African nursing?
- Are they even applied or they were just learnt? With the critical
nursing shortages of 1:35-45, increased disease burden? - Can these nursing models generalized to the African context?
THE NEED TO TRANSLATE RESEARCH FINDINGS INTO PRACTICE
- Not every nurse should conduct research.
- We need special courses specific to nursing research for those with interest.
- This will enable the conduction of research, and the sharing of findings that will
be meaningful - It does not mean when one had a PhD, then they automatically become
research expert and they must work as such. - Somecan work as Doctors in Nursing Practice.
- We need Nursing Research bodies right here in Africa.
- To build data bases with quality articles of nursing
- Begin journal writing, form editorial boards and review nursing related articles,
start publishing our own research. - Seek research funding for nursing groups.
LETS BEGIN TO STEP OUT OF THE BOX
Question? Why should a nurse only study nursing related courses?
- Why not competitive areas that add value to nursing?
- How about analytical skills in statistics and data analysis, econometrics, biometrics, and other qualitative and quantitative
research methods that are appropriate to their research topics. Law, Journalism, etc - We need a boosted nursing space that is well furnished with all
capabilities. - Nursing must become diverse.
- We can join the media. Become nurse entrepreneurs.
NURSING COUNCILS AND OTHER
FOUNDING ORGANIZATIONS
- The of higher leaderships for any nursing profession
- The support pillars who must encourage image building activities
- They need to fly messages of excellence, which includes good vision and mission for nursing.
- They need to factor into the nursing curriculum deliberate image building strategies
- The world is open today. So many initiatives i.e. nursing groups,
networks, associations and foundations are forming. - This is what nurse leaders must aspire to begin doing and
supporting - Nursing councils and Unions must ask – what other professional activities, apart from learning in colleges and work, are nurses involved in?
- Remember, nurses are vibrant and creative beings who need to express themselves in different ways
- Howdo we help them professionally do that, without denting the nursing image?
- How do they use social platforms like facebook constructively.
- We need to promote other groups in networks, foundations and associations to exist
- Mediapages can be opened for the purpose of posting nursing related educative information.
- Thismay act as a form of continuous professional development, and in other ways means of mentorship etc.
- Jobpostings and latest news can be shared in such platforms
INITIATE STUDENT UNIONS IN COLLEGES
- Joining unions is a very important activity in anycollege.
- They are great teaching grounds for leadership growth
- Students learn advocacy and negotiation skills
- They develop their public speaking skills.
- This gives stamina for nurses to stand and protect for their profession.
- The younger vibrant nurses need to understand these dynamic approaches in the world today
STUDENT NURSE PREPAREDNESS/TRAINING
- Nursing educators must equip students with most relevant knowledge and practice opportunities
- Instilling in them a desire and expectation for wanting to learn new things
- It is time we started talking building image for nursing but in different areas of reading, researching, applying evidence, belonging to associations, groups.
- The focus of always talking of nurses’ uniform should be long gone.
- Let’s focus on competencies and capabilities for quality
nursing - Studentsmust be inspired to start aiming for leadership roles as early as in training.
- Restrictingthem only restricts their abilities
- Theyshould be encouraged to exercise their potential for leadership.
- Itis either you lead or be led.
- Thereis need for schools to start offering workshops for political advocacy, which mediates their capacity for leadership through discussing leadership issues with faculty
MENTORSHIP PLATFORMS
- The call for nurses to assume leadership roles can be
answered through mentorship
Nurses can be mentored to accept being included in political engagements. - Membership associations also have a responsibility to provide mentoring and leadership guidance, as well as
opportunities to share expertise and best practices, for those who join
THE NEED TO REDEFINE THE FACE OF NURSING
- More targeted recruitments to draw men into the overwhelmingly female
profession is needed to change the image. - As more men enter the profession, nursing will receive recognition like other
career options do, such as engineering or piloting. - Value nursing and project that image daily, believe in each other
- Each nurse needs to explore how their actions or inactions affect the nursing
image. - There is need to conduct oneself in a professional way – recognize the effect
of certain behaviours outside of the workplace distort the professional image. - Promote your profession – why say I do not want my child to do nursing because they work in an environment where they are not respected, are underpaid, and have to deal with people who have unrealistic expectations. It will not help improve the image
GET THE NURSING STORY IN THE MEDIA
- “The main career motivator for most nurses is service…”But why service?
- Service is the action of helping or doing work for someone.
- Why not Unity, power, Prestige, Excel.
- This is why nurses shy away from media because they do not want to be
recognised or identified. - The want to be in background serving.
But if nurses are not broadcast, then the public will not understand the major and indispensable role of nurses in healthcare - They need to be shown who a nurse is and what a nurse does.
- There is need to share nursing achievements and events
- Technology such as chat rooms, Facebook, and even blogs can be used to
support the mentoring role.
SPEAKER: DR. BEATRICE MAY BANDA
PHD.N, MSC.N, BSC.N, RN.
Founder and President of Maysons Nursing Foundation (MNF)
Abdullahi Suleiman a Certified Registered Nurse based in Nigeria, an Entrepreneur and Also a Blogger, passionate about Community Development and Cosmetic Nursing
Congratulations Dr Beatrice May Banda. Keep it up