Rebranding Nigeria Nursing Profession - Famous Pen

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Queenet
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Rebranding Nigeria Nursing Profession - Famous Pen

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I once embarked on a tiresome journey from Benin city to Lagos. The state of the road back then made the journey perilous and unexciting. The harsh harmattan breeze sucked moisture from the atmosphere, leaving everyone and everywhere thirsty and parched. I needed to drink something, water, lacasera, just anything. Luckily for me, i ran into a hold up. Vehicles were practically on a standstill. A young boy ran to the side of my vehicle with a large bowl on his head. He was hawking just what i needed; water! I grabbed a 50cl bottle and gulped it down hurriedly. The water tasted funny, but i was too thirsty to care. Next i offered him a fee of 20 naira. He frowned and shook his head. "oga bottle water na 100 naira" he replied in protest. What! So i just drank 50cl of water at the cost of 100 naira? When the same 50cl in a sachet cost 5naira? I gave him his money, still with a frown. Next i had to find something to eat. I stopped by a roadside food vendor, she said a plate of rice would cost 150 naira. But i couldn't stay, the environment was untidy, the utensils looked dirty. I turned and walked away. I located 'sizzlers' it had a tush surrounding, well air conditioned. But the food cost an arm and a leg. I spent 1800 naira, for the same quantity of food. But that day, i learnt a vital business lesson i'd like to share with Nigerian nurses. 'packaging is everything'.

The nursing profession in Nigeria today is bedeviled and froth with a myriad of problems. As far as healthcare professions are concerned, nurses are bottom of the food chain. The saddest part of it all is that we are the architects of our own problems. We crafted the plot for our own failure. A graduate nurse would enter the civil service on conhess 7, while his counterpart in medical laboratory science or pharmacy would begin internship on conhess 8, and enter at conhess 9 after nysc. Does that sound fair to anyone?. Have you compared the call duty allowance of a peri-operative nurse and a pharmacist?. One is tempted to ask, what is our crime? What are we not doing right?. The answer is; A lot! We need to repackage and rebrand. The energy and resources we spend fighting each other would be better utilized if it is spent thinking and procuring solutions to our problems. Whether anyone will listen to Famous pen, i have no idea, but i must put these point forward for the interest of all nurses and hope that NMCN and NANNM would one day be interested in putting It's house in order and moving this profession forward.

Nursing started out as a predominantly female profession. From the era of Florence nightingale down till this era, nursing is still predominantly female. This spells trouble for nursing, especially in a society where male chauvinism abounds, and women are often viewed as second class citizens. If nursing continues to be viewed as a female profession, nurses will continue to be second class citizens. But thankfully, there is a steady increase in the population of male nurses. As such, nursing in Nigeria must rebrand itself to accommodate this change. For instance, midwifery was a nursing specialty that required training in a school of midwifery for three years, or 18months post basic. The students were all females, hence when they complete their training, they are licensed and called 'Registered midwives' or 'RM'. But times have changed, and so must we! .

The university now affords male nurses the opportunity to receive the same training that is offered in the schools of midwifery. They sit for the same licensing examination in due time. Now the question is how would you address them? Granted, male nurses are often misunderstood and ridiculed by ignorant and uneducated folks. But to further refer to a male as a 'midwife' is somewhat demeaning. (check the dictionary meaning of midwife) ' In my own survey conducted in December 2014, 82% of the male nurses with maternal and child health nursing training do not like to be called 'midwives'. They find it absurd and subtly embarrassing. Can the Nursing and midwifery council of Nigeria consider a change of nomenclature for this category of nurses? We dearly and humbly plead that they do. Perhaps, they could be 'obstetric nurses' instead of 'midwives'. I therefore appeal to the nursing and midwifery council to look into effecting this change, to encourage male participation and interest in maternal and child health nursing.

Re-packaging the profession could also begin from changing the way we look, and our overall appearance. When it comes to nurses, some still have visions of sexy women walking through hospital hallways in white gowns and little white caps. No surprises there! That's just one of the many media stereotypes people have developed about the nursing profession over the years. Nurses can be spotted in market places, social events and just about anywhere with there uniforms. Several times, i have captured nauseating sights of nurses on uniform, with a child tied to their backs, negotiating or arguing with another woman over the price of a commodity inside a market. It is always a sorry sight. Most times i just bow my head in embarrassment and walk away. Have you seen a doctor with his ward coat outside the hospital? Or a laboratory scientist strolling down the street with his lab coat?. No! They respect their profession. And one thing is sure. The more rare a commodity is, the greater Its value. More so, think about the amount of infection you could carry back to the ward, when you shuttle between the market and the hospital with your uniform, or the infection you will take to your family when you return home with your uniform.

Again i am tempted to ask, why do Nigerian nurses still wear white gowns in the 21st century? Is there a rationale?. The white uniform has outlived its usefulness, since we have to compete with CHEWs, quacks and chefs for it. Even Florence nightingale's country does not wear white anymore. I again appeal to the nursing and midwifery council to 'repackage' our appearance. Scrubs are the order of the day. We will look a lot smarter and diligent in them, and it better suits the manual aspects of our job. For identification purpose, a customised name tag from the council, paid for by a registered nurse could be included. Such name tag could for instance simply read 'Susan Mayer, RN, RM'. The scrubs would come in different colours for identification purpose. An obstetrics nurse for example would be differentiated from a critical care nurse based on the colour of their scrubs. These scrubs would be worn only within the hospital environment, or in a gathering of nurses only.

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Queenet
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Re: Rebranding Nigeria Nursing Profession - Famous Pen

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This brings us to arguably the biggest problem facing the nursing profession today. The issue that causes tempers to rise, and swords to drawn. Called it 'internal rivalry', 'Diploma vs BNsc war', NANNM vs GNAN. We are referring to the same Hydra headed monster. And one thing is certain. Whenever and wherever this issue is discussed, sentiments and ignorance play a major role in the closing arguments. For once, let us pretend not to be nurses. Let us forget sentiments and focus on 'cogent and valid reasoning'.

To get to where you want to be, you must first leave where you are. You must take a step forward. Nigerian nurses know exactly where they want to be, but the problem is many are reluctant to leave where they are right now! This resistance to change is the major reason why we are where we are.

The future of this profession, and the only way forward lies in the Bachelor of nursing science degree, hence we must all embrace it. I know that sentence will prick a lot of ears and stir up ugly emotions. But that is the harsh reality. To fight it would be to fight our collective destinies. Are we really content with where we are? The IAP award clearly puts nursing on the same level with pharmacy. But the only way it will be implementable is if nurses hold the same degrees with pharmacists. The civil service will never raise a diploma holder to the level of a graduate. The only thing that would be done is to bring the graduate down to the diploma level, this is what is happening in nursing at present. And If we remain in the diploma stage, we would continue to watch others soaring high and looking down on us. Medical laboratory science council of Nigeria has a bill before the National assembly, seeking to establish a national postgraduate college. Pharmaceutical society of Nigeria is struggling to upgrade it's degree program to a clinical doctorate program. So i ask again, are we really content with where we are? If we are, then it is safe to say we lack ambition and foresight. If not, we would strive to leave where we are right now, and that would mean a rapid transition from Diploma to BNsc for a start, with the ultimate goal of instituting a doctor of nursing science program.

I do not subscribe to using derogatory names like 'nurse technician' or 'nurse assistant' to address any nurse irrespective of academic qualification. But to encourage continuous growth and further education, there must be a clear dichotomy between a university graduate and a diploma nurse. I am in no way suggesting that university graduates make better nurses, or are more intelligent. In fact, the diploma nurses are more practically oriented. But we must look towards the future and catch up with our counterparts in the health sector. It is the degree that gives us a fighting chance. This dichotomy should be at the entry and exit level. Graduate nurses after internship and NYSC should be placed on conhess 9 like their counterparts in the health sector. Meanwhile, diploma nurses should enter at conhess 8, and subsequently study for their BNsc, to enable them reach the directorate cadre in due time. This would improve the image of the profession and serve as an incentive for diploma nurses to pursue their degree.
"Changing how the world thinks about nursing".
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Queenet
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Re: Rebranding Nigeria Nursing Profession - Famous Pen

Unread post by Queenet »

In Nigeria today, the certificate you carry and the degree after your name is what matters. No matter how many diplomas one acquires and the time spent pursuing them, they would never amount to a Bachelor degree. Hence, any attempt to equate a diploma certificate to a bachelors degree and put the holders on the same level would be tantamount to eating our future today, and obliterating our degree program. I therefore appeal to all diploma nurses, in the interest of the profession, leave sentiments aside and stop hating. BNsc is the way forward. Go and get yours!. As for the graduate nurses, drop your pride and ego, respect your professional colleagues. Your degree only makes you more educated, but it doesn't make you more proficient than the diploma nurse. Wherever you are today, we will all get there.

The unnecessary brouhaha by GNAN and usual grandstanding by NANNM is another battle that will ultimately drag the profession to new depths. For reasons not quite clear, NANNM seems to be showing apathy towards graduate nurses. This apathy is gradually degenerating into outright hate.

Someone once referred to GNAN as 'naked dancers' and 'detractors' who are fighting an illegitimate course, and causing division. But let us reason along this line. NANNM in collaboration with JOHESU fought for better placement of medical laboratory science interns. In fact, NANNM's secretary general proudly announced their victory! But on the other hand, its own graduates are begging for the same internship, and NANNM couldn't be any less bordered. Now the question is, why is the internship for graduate nurses not in JOHESU's list of demands, bearing in mind that NANNM joined JOHESU to fight for better placement of medical laboratory science interns?. Imagine your mother happily feeding your friends outside, while you are hungry and in need of that same food. Would your hatred and eventual tantrums not be justified? How then do you expect graduate nurses to feel when their mates are placed higher than them, and NANNM (our mother) helped them accomplish it?. Why would a mother hate a child so much? Is NANNM comfortable with the state of the profession so far?

If we must be on par with pharmacists and practice with full autonomy, internship for graduate nurses is the first step forward. Our biggest problem is not the scheme of service, but our 'scheme of education'. That is where the disparity is. The unified scheme of service, if it can ever be achieved, would merely be a round pebble in a square hole. The hatred and bickering will remain. No doubt, this is what GNAN is trying to fight against. Plausible and reasonable as its demands may be, i would be honest enough to point out that its method of pursuing them has been puerile, and NANNM'S handling of the crisis has been cynical at best. NANNM as the parent body must initiate dialogue, let each party table its agitations, and work out a compromise.

From my own point of view, everyone must agree that we need change! We need to leave were we are now. BNsc is the way forward. Hence NANNM and GNAN should be working towards making sure every nurse in a graduate. It is possible.

First, every nurse must be forced to see the need for higher education. Hence the dichotomy in entry and exit levels. But from my own research, many diploma nurses are willing and eager to go further, but the number of years they will spend in the university is a source of discouragement, especially when no establishment will allow a worker to be gone for so long. Imagine having to spend another four years in the university after three years in the school of nursing and one year or more in post basic schools. Eight years is no joke!. NANNM and GNAN should channel their resources into reducing the number of years needed to upgrade from diploma to bsc. It should be a minimum of three years for single qualified diploma nurses and two years for double qualified nurses. It is so practiced in other countries with similar curriculum. This is implementable. Our schools of nursing should be affiliated to universities, to become degree awarding institutions. For instance, ubth school of nursing can be affiliated to uniben's department of nursing science. It will be expensive to run, but our nurses are not so poor. Why don't we have colleges of nursing?. If we adopt these, in the next five years, 80 percent of our nurses will be degree holders. This rivalry will be a thing of the past. There will be no need for a unified scheme of service.

Nurses, join the shout for change, don't resist it, embrace it and move along. Re-brand, re-package, change! Join me and shout change!

Famous Pen.
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"Changing how the world thinks about nursing".
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