Why nurses are the heart of healthcare!

Nurses are incredible people who care without reservation or limits. Nurses are courageous and show up ready to face new challenges each and every day. In these times of uncertainty, one thing remains constant: the dedication of our caregivers, as well as the colleagues who support them. COVID-19 has made this a challenging time for everyone. But no one has faced the realities of the pandemic more continuously and more completely than our frontline healthcare workers. They face the same fears and restrictions we all do at home, but they’re committed to dealing with the virus face to face every day at work as well.

Nurses make up the backbone of the healthcare industry

As patient advocates and skilled care providers, the role of nurses has never been more important in meeting the healthcare needs of a growing number of patients. Nurses have long delivered a high standard of care to the general public. Professional respect within the medical community, however, was hard-won through years of lobbying, organizing, and most importantly, advancing the profession academically. Whereas nurses 70 years ago were viewed as less integral members of a clinical care team (despite their many responsibilities), nurses have fought for more recognition and today command much more respect and autonomy, enjoying an increasingly collaborative relationship with physicians and other healthcare professionals.

The role of nurses in healthcare

Doctors and medical practitioners play an important role in the healthcare industry by treating the patients in the right way. But at the same time, you cannot deny the role that nurses play in the healthcare industry. In fact, they are the unsung heroes who take care of patients day and night without being impatient or irritated. Nurses are the ones who form the backbone of both the public and the private healthcare system ensuring that the requirements of the patients are rightly taken care of.

Anyone who has ever visited a hospital has surely seen the kind of work the nurses are engaged in and hospitals cannot even imagine functioning without their help. Through individual treatment and patient response to health and disease, nurses are anticipated to provide high-quality care to help clients that lead to independent, self-regulating, and healthy lives. However, before empowering others, nurses must empower themselves. Personal health care can be a difficult road to navigate as the social and psychological conditions of the job of nursing do have a significant impact on the health of nurses. We need to be mindful of the social and psychological fallout that is commonly felt by nurses and other healthcare workers.

The positive impact nurses have on our health

Nurses have a positive impact on our health because they are ready to support us on our way to full health. This care goes beyond simply administering medicine and checking blood pressure - it's more involved than that. Nurses will listen, support our needs and help us access resources that we may need down the track - whether that be in the form of a support group, someone to rely on, or answering our questions and concerns. The attention to detail that this commitment to health entails helps each of us lead healthier lives physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Nurses play an important role in the delivery of healthcare

Nurses have the necessary experience to effectively care for others and carry out hospital procedures and protocols. They understand patients' needs and know what needs to be done to improve patient health. Nurses are dedicated to providing care and supporting health care to all, no matter their circumstances or social standing.

Supporting the needs of patients and their families

Anyone who has seen a loved one struggle with chronic illness or extended hospital stays is aware that patient care and the support of a nurse go far beyond the needs of patients. Nurses support family and friends too, by demonstrating concern, building rapport, demonstrating professionalism, providing factual information, and supporting decision-making. ICU nurses are positioned uniquely to provide such support because they have the most contact with both patients and families. Nurses deliver intimate, personal care allowing them to develop trusting relationships with patients and families, assess their needs, and observe the responses that family members have to the changing condition of the patient.

Thank you for everything

Hospital stays are almost always accompanied by stress and worry. Fearing the unfamiliar is a common feeling among both patients and their families, but one of the many elements of nursing includes mitigating that fear. Nurses are the healthcare professionals who spend the most time with patients and their families during their hospital stay. Doctors may cure, but nurses are responsible for providing care.

Besides providing medical attention, they also provide important emotional support. Nurses are fitness coaches and cheerleaders, grief counsellors and hand-holders. Their tasks include helping their patients through emotional challenges and creating a comforting bedside manner. They are with their patients from the first day to the very last, day and night.

Nurses are an integral part of any healthcare team and the roles of teacher, advocate, decision-maker, and caregivers showcase why nurses are considered the “heart” of healthcare.