INTERNATIONAL Nurses Day was celebrated on Thursday, May 12 (Florence Nightingale’s birthday), at Netcare Mulbarton Hospital, as well as many other hospitals around the world.
Hospital manager Nellie Koen spoke to the nursing staff about how important they are and applauded them for the work they do. “Look after and provide for your patients. Remember care, passion and dedication are important assets in the nursing profession and smile and greet every person you see every day in the hospital. Wear your name badge with pride and thank patients for using our hospital. Remember we must be care effective and cost effective,” she said.The matron, Sentle Moroeroe, also addressed the nursing staff, adding she was very proud of them and asked them to think back to why they became nurses in the beginning. “Thank you all for your dedication to your patients.”
The nursing staff then read their nurses pledge, holding lit candles.
Breakfast was served and the staff members were encouraged to wear pyjamas with a prize being given for the snazziest slippers.
Netcare’s director of nursing and nursing education, Shannon Nell, says the nursing profession has much to celebrate.
“Nursing as a profession has come of age in South Africa and elsewhere in the world, with outcomes-based nursing care and new treatment regimes underpinning a more holistic, interactive approach to patient care.
“Our patients want to know what we are doing and why we are doing it. The patient of the 21st century has access to information on an unprecedented scale and will, quite understandably and reasonably, question nurses’ and doctors’ decisions and actions more frequently. For example, it is a core behaviour of the Netcare way that our nurses are expected to ask for consent from our patients before engaging in an intervention such as performing a blood pressure test or a small procedure like inserting a drip.
“The role of the nurse as a key facilitator of communication between patients and doctors remains a crucial aspect of the job. In certain instances the nurse may pick up on information that the patient may not volunteer as they may not realise its potential clinical significance. On the other hand, the nurse is often able to help the patient to more fully understand the implications of a doctor’s prescribed treatment plan after the doctor has spoken to the patient in the course of their rounds.”
