Nursing is undoubtedly a noble profession. However, nurses in Bangladesh often feel undervalued. The physician to nurse ratio is 2:1, while that for patient to nurse is about 8000:1 in the country. This is deplorable. If nurses get their due respect, many people would like to opt for nursing as their profession. People still 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.
Given that physicians are not always available, nurses often take critical decisions themselves. During surgeries, nurses 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 comfort distressed patients and their families.
Despite having a range of skills and abilities, nurses oftentimes do not get due recognition and their advice is not considered credible. It is demoralising for the nurses to see their hard work and effort going unrecognised. We must appreciate nurses for their service and treat them with respect as they make significant contributions to our healthcare system.
Afroza Sheikh,
Dania, Dhaka,
ilcbd2008@gmail.com