Respect for nursing profession

Nursing is undoubtedly a noble profession. However, nurses in Bangladesh often feel undervalued or belittled in their position. The physician to nurse ratio is 2:1 and patient to nurse proportion is about 8,000:1 in the country, which is a very deplorable situation. If nurses get their due respect, many people would like to opt for nursing as their profession. It is a harsh reality in our society that 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.
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 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, nurses' advice is not considered credible. It is demoralising for nurses to see their hard work and effort go unrecognised. We must appreciate nurses for their service and treat them with respect as they make significant contribution to our healthcare system.

Afroza Sheikh,
Dania, Dhaka,
[email protected]