Bahamian nurses told to police their profession

by Linda Major

Monday, November 22, 2004

NASSAU, The Bahamas: Nurses must daily evaluate their own performance to ensure the public receives the highest level of care, said Mary Johnson, Director of Nursing. 

Ms. Johnson was addressing the Nurses' Association of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas 28th annual Nurses Conference at The College of The Bahamas, under the theme "Nurses Transforming Service Through Enlightenment." 

Ms. Johnson said while there are a lot of nurses who do their best, there are some who are not pulling their weight. "It is up to us to use professional peer pressure to help to bring them in line so that people do not tar us with the same brush," said Ms. Johnson. She added: We can use our tact and powers of persuasion to influence people and therefore bring about the change we desire, so that our profession does not come into disrepute. We must police our profession. 

"You are the ones who must influence the other members of the team -- the nursing auxiliaries, attendants and doctors and all those who contribute to the giving of care." Ms. Johnson said while there have been improvements in many areas, there is still much work to do. She noted that the Ministry of Health spends thousands of dollars annually on the training of nurses. As a result, she said, nurses are better educated and the number of nurses with degrees has increased significantly. 

However, said Ms. Johnson, increased knowledge and education alone does not mean better performance. "A great deal depends upon where our heart is, our level of compassion, dedication and commitment to duty. We must be willing to empathize and go the extra mile in the best interest of patient care." We must then make a concerted effort to ensure that our enlightenment is reflected in the quality of care that you render each day. We must take charge of the situation and ensure that we render to the public the highest level of care possible," she said.

Mrs. Dorcena Nixon, vice president for In-patient Services, Doctors Hospital, said new avenues for growth are constantly being opened to nurses. 

With many different specialties within the nursing profession, Mrs. Nixon said, no nurse can truly say there is nothing more in or about nursing that interests him or her. Successful transformation begins on the inside, in the heart and mind, when we endeavour to examine our fundamental values and beliefs about ourselves, our profession, life in general. "We need flexible, innovative minds and spirits to be transformed," she said. "If our mindsets are inflexible, if we lack the will or ability to think out of the box, we will most certainly be left behind," she said. 

Mrs. Nixon said while nursing could be one of the most influential professions because of its sheer numbers and its position to reach so many people, nurses must first believe in their own profession and want to see it grow. "I believe that a profound desire for transformation is required to release the strength and wisdom needed to meet the challenges before us personally and before our profession." "I also believe that enlightenment can propel a psychological and behavioural change, but not by itself; a transformation in spirit must be desired and sought after by each individual after he or she believes it to be necessary and believes it to be a real possibility," Mrs. Nixon said. 

Mrs. Annette Okpuno, nursing advisor, Public Hospitals Authority, said the theme of the conference implies nurses must be knowledgeable, creative and innovative in order to transform or improve the profession. "We are in a new century, which requires new ways of thinking -- thinking out of the box, being visionary," she said. "We must certainly continue to look at new ways of doing things to improve services, to improve patient outcomes; and to do this we must be knowledgeable about the areas of nursing in which we serve, as managers, as clinicians and as educators." 

Mrs. Okpuno said nurses have to stay in touch with what is considered best practices and understand the "competencies needed to change from current practices to those needed in the future as nursing evolves." 

"Nursing is made up of a diverse group of people with myriad talents and intelligence." We must use these attributes and create an environment to allow and encourage all nurses to be involved in the transformation of best practices in this era. Together we must collectively continue our efforts to be successful in this ever-changing health care environment," she said. 

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