NURSES WEEK 2016: Finding Power in Compassion
Historically, nursing has been seen as an occupation that incorporates compassion, skill and the highest form of knowledge. Nurses are renowned for their angelic presence and undying patient advocacy where the profession has been noted to be as one of the most rapidly evolving professions worldwide.As Nurses Day approaches this year, my current sentiments surround contemporary nursing and utilizingnursing education as an adjuvant to unraveling the prospects and complexities surrounding the profession.
When celebrating Nurses Day, it is extremely vital to highlight the significance of the day. The 12th of May celebrates the birthday of Florence Nightingale, also fondly remembered as the “Lady with the Lamp” who drew a magnitude of respect to the profession. Adding to the contributions made by Florence Nightingale,the modern day nurse is armed with justifiably the purest and holistic form of self-governance and autonomy, which is a magnificent leap from its previous state. These un-sung heroes of the health care system are now in a strategic position to not only change systems but to cultivate novel methods of health care delivery to the client.
Being an academic member of the world renowned International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS), Sri Lanka,it is an honour to be surrounded by some of the most knowledgeable and most accomplished academics around the globe.Whilst IIHS soars in the national and international health and business fields, nursing is the most sought after programme by Sri Lankan and Maldivian applicants. IIHS takes pride in the quality and delivery of its programmes which focuses on maintaining a student centric approach ensuring that a solid and durable student – teacher relationship is maintained throughout the learning experience.
Mrs. P.L. Jayawardane, Head of Nursing Faculty at IIHS and also one of the most respected and esteemed nurses in Sri Lanka, comments on the current reforms that have taken place within the health and education industries to suit the modern day Nightingales. “As Nursing education in Sri Lanka has been converted to an English curriculum, the international pathways have been freely opened to our nurses in Sri Lanka who are now yearning for change. At IIHS, we believe that now is the time to apply practical models of learning by incorporating case presentations and reflective practice in nursing education. Having worked in Sri Lanka as nurse, I am very pleased to see the initiatives taken from the private and public sectors to further enhance the profession”. Mrs. Jayawardhana is recognised and respected in the industry as she is the former Principal at the Nursing Training School, Kandana currently heading the Faculty of Nursing at IIHS.
ThoughFlorence Nightingale’s era may have expired, it is vital to celebrate her valuable input to the occupation. Her work during the Crimean War served as exemplar to modern day nursing. With her guidance and foresight a quality delivery was maintained during a time when nurses were inundated with overcrowded, undersupplied and unsanitary hospitals. Mrs. M.Hinguragey, a Senior Lecturer and Clinical Preceptor from IIHS states, “Nurses need to follow Florence Nightingale’s philosophy where hospitals are seen as a place for healing and recovery. It is vital to now apply the solid theory into practice to enhance patient outcomes. We are now more than nurses who follow orders and engage in task orientated activities. We are thinkers who have the power to save lives and it is important to me that my students follow innovative systems to augment patient experiences”. Mrs. Hinguragey is the Former Principal at the Nursing Training School in Mulleriyawa with an excess of 20 years of service.
In the West, nursing is taking large strides aligning technology and informatics with delivery and education to be at par with current health care initiatives. Contemporary health care delivery includes the wider involvement of patients to maintain a patient-centric health care experience. Whilst certain structural challenges may cause the East to lag behind the West in relation to the holistic delivery of health care, over time it is becoming evident that Sri Lanka is striving to draw level with the more developed models of health care. Dr. Nihal De Silva, Dean of IIHS, on his take on the drastic transformations in global clinical nursing and education, states“Having worked as a Gynecologist in major hospitals in the United States of America and Saudi Arabia over the past 40 years, I have observed the progress of the noble profession. Nurses are now reaching new heights in the West with Nurse Practitioners as being pinnacles in the industry. We are now seeing nurses with more influence in health care decision making where their interventions are at par with medical doctors. I hope that over time, with further educational initiatives nurses in South Asia would hold more dominion over lifesaving health care decisions”. Dr. Nihal De Silva graduated from Osaka University as a Medical Doctor and is the FormerAssociate Professor at Stanford University, School of Medicine, USA. In addition, he is the Clinical Professor at the University of Hawaii, School of Medicine, USA and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
One of the immense challenges that nurses have faced over the years is related to the constant call for equality and respect in the health care domain. Over the past decades, nursing education has evolved from a hospital trained model to a university model to align with the theoretical requirements of the noble caregivers. Dr. KithsiriEdirisinghe, Deputy Chairman and the Director of Academics in IIHS states “We are now living in a health care system where all members of the sphere must work as one to achieve our unified objective, which supports patient wellbeing and delivery. In order to foster respect amongst nurses and allied health professionals we must close the knowledge gap by cultivating the seeds of research and professional development throughout a nurse’s career. Bedside nursing is now by far more than attending to a patient’s physical needs. It is leaning towards evidence based practice, where each nursing outcome is measured against the current evidence shown in research. At IIHS we currently award degrees to a majority of the government trained nurses, through the Open University, Malaysia and the career advancements that the said nurses make are immense. This is the sole method of gaining uniform respect in the industry”. Dr. Edirisinghe is a renowned Medical Administrator in Sri Lanka with a gamut of health care projects under his proficient and capable umbrella. He is a former Government sector Medical Administrator and an expert in Hospital Designing with a Master of Science and Medical Doctorate in Medical Administration with a Master Training Certificate from Australia.
With an increase in the ageing population and a higher demand for educated and confident professionals in the health care sphere, nurses are widely sought after health care specialists globally and it is evident that the nursing profession will leap further into excellence. With the inundation of technology and substantial advancements in health education, it is vital that health care educators align with the current global health care requirements to arm the nursing workforce with the tools of knowledge, skill, innovation and compassion to deliver a quality service to the wider community. Equipped with an astounding nationally and internationally qualified academic faculty IIHS has definitely risen to the challenge. Ms. Nadeeka Jayasinghe. Deputy Head of Nursing , IIHS. BSc Nursing (Australia, PostGrad Cert. Critical Care (Australia), PhD in Social Sciences (in reading). (The writer is the Deputy Head of Nursing at the International Institute of Health Sciences where she lectures in Nursing and Health Sciences for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Her education stems from Australia where she practised as a Critical Care Trained Registered Nurse. She also has nursing experience in the Middle East. She is currently following her Doctorate in Philosophy in Social Sciences offered by the Asia e University and IIHS.