Rising Cases of Unprofessionalism in the Nursing Industry have Raised Concerns
The rising cases of unprofessionalism in the nursing industry have raised concerns. The nursing profession has been hit by cases of unprofessionalism that have dented the image of the once prestigious profession. Nursing experts and other stakeholders in the industry have expressed concern that unless something is done the situation could get out of hand. The industry has failed its homework.
Unprofessionalism in the nursing industry
The emerging cases of unprofessionalism in the nursing industry have hit the industry at a time when the issue of proper and quality health care has been in the minds of many. Health has been considered as the important issue that should top the priority list of any country that is interested in making economic and social reforms. The question that we need to ask ourselves is simple. Where did the issue of unprofessionalism emanate from and what should be done to avert further crisis in the future?
Problem description
The nursing profession has been in the news in the recent past just for the wrong reasons. The once flourishing and positive image of nursing that used to exist has been marred with unethical issues that have further compromised the profession. The negative image has raised questions about the profession. People and other stakeholders are trying to grapple with this problem hoping to find a solution to their problem. The negative image presented about nursing has left patients wondering what is next for them. Patients have expressed concerns that their heath has been taken for granted and that it is time to face the question of unprofessionalism in the nursing industry head on. Various reports and studies conducted about the industry present a dark reality that has hit our health sector. The reports further highlight various practices within the industry which are mind boggling. The industry has failed due to years of poor health policies and poor regulation. The problem bedeviling the industry could be worse than earlier anticipated, claims one monthly medical journal. The journal points that more is yet to come.
In this regard blame game has become the order of the day. Instead of finding a way out the current stalemate, stakeholders in the health sector have engaged in endless blame games and unnecessary deliberations. The stakeholders have missed the point. The point is that they should understand that whenever a challenge faces the profession the best way is how to get out of the stalemate.
The cases of unprofessionalism in the nursing industry abound. The patients have been ignored and their plight has been thrown to the woods. Nurses have continually ignored patients under the guise of being overworked or poor pay. What is disturbing is the fact that these problems could have been resolved in line with the nursing professional codes but from the look of things the opposite has been settled for.
Service provision has been on the negative trend in the last couple of years. Patients have been presenting various grievances to relevant authorities and yet nothing has been done. This has resulted in a scenario where the profession has been commercialized. Other patients affected have tried to seek legal redress to have their grievances attended to but no meaningful outcomes have been achieved.
Unethical practices
The unethical practices observed in the profession are of a wide range. A close examination of the practices in the nursing profession indicates that some unethical practices are a direct result of negligence of the nurses and other factors beyond the capacity of the nursing practitioners.
Nurses have been involved in patient recovery failure. Some nurses have been reported to intentionally give patients the wrong medication in a bid to hamper their recovery. During such scenarios nurses have intentionally prescribed the wrong medication to their patients. One such case was reported sometimes last year in which the patient was given completely different medication from the one that was supposed to treat the ailment that the patient was suffering from.
Nurses have been noted to be unqualified. It was noted that the rate of unqualified nurses in the industry was increasing at unprecedented rate. The unqualified nurses were pointed as the main causes of poor patient treatment in most health institutions. The unqualified professionals have been blamed for advancing poor medical solutions to their patients. The unprofessional nurses have been involved in various cases in which they misled the patients as far as their medical conditions were concerned. Patients expressed concern that some nurses recommended various medical procedures which were not even related to their ailments. Unqualified nurses do not understand some health problems that patients present to them. Instead these nurses make decisions which end up causing more medical harm to the patients.
The state of medical regulatory bodies is in a mess. This has been described as the second most contributor of the current state of unprofessionalism in the nursing industry. The medical regulatory bodies have failed to play to play their cards properly. The regulatory bodies have failed to address pertinent issues facing the industry. These regulatory bodies have instituted policy frameworks which do not match with the current medical needs on the ground. The policy frameworks have failed to address the emerging issues in the industry (Academic medicine, 2008). The regulatory authorities have been involved in management related issues which have further compromised the professional outlook of medical nursing.
Poor technological mechanisms have contributed to the current state of unprofessionalism. The current state of technology in the medical field has been blamed for the sorry state that the industry has found itself. It has been said time and again that what the medical profession needs at the moment is better and effective technology that can be able to address the emerging demand (British journal, 2009). Experts point out that technology would be a boost to the profession because it would enable the medical staff to advance better medication solutions to patients. In addition, medication would bring down the cost of accessing medical care in the sense that some ailments would be treated in a more effective way that does not consume more resources. Better technology enables nurses and other medical professionals to share important information concerning their practice. Recently the medical profession received a major boost when a new piece of technological equipment was introduced. This equipment enables nurses in distant locations to treat patents in other localities.
Poor remuneration has been blamed for the unprofessionalism in the nursing industry. Nurses have expressed concerns that they are being overworked at the same time receive peanuts as their monthly wages. Nurses have implied that poor pay demoralizes their hard work and motivation spirit. Poor pay places a negative image on nurses in the sense that they feel that their efforts are not recognized. Nurses continue to add that the dwindling patient service results from the realization that their efforts and commitments will be ignored by their employers. This according to one study conducted in various medical institutions has contributed to the low morale observed in the nursing profession. The nurses claim that the nursing profession just like other professions should serve to raise their living standards.
Poor working conditions have contributed to the unprofessionalism in the industry. Nurses and other medical practioners claim that their working conditions have been neglected owing to continued negligence by the management. Nurses claim that their efforts to have their working environments improved have fallen on deaf ears. The management has continued to ignore the plight of nurses. Nurses have expressed concerns that their working conditions are harsh and unfriendly. The nurses’ further claim that these working conditions pose a big health hazard. Some nurses claim that they have tried their level best to engage the management to improve their working conditions and little or no meaningful changes have been effected. The nurses have in addition engaged in demonstrations and strikes and yet nothing has been changed. This has thus demotivated them and instilled a don’t care attitude to them.
Poor training in the medical profession has been described as one of the major causes of the unprofessionalism experienced in the medical profession. Nurses claim that poor training has denied them the ability to expedite the best medical practices to their patients. Poor training does not address various challenges and other medical obstacles are experienced in the medical profession. Poor training creates a situation where the nurses work in a manner that is against the norms and operating code of ethics of the medical field. Poor training restricts the nurses’ ability to expand their medical knowledge. Nurses find themselves in a career stall in the sense that they cannot advance their careers so that they can address emerging medical needs.
The rising number of patients seeking medical attention has been on the rise. There have been concerns that the existing number of practicing nurses in the industry cannot be able to handle the new patient numbers. Nurses in this case express concerns that unless more nurses are trained and employed, the professionalism in the industry could receive a major setback. Higher than normal numbers of patients would compromise service delivery in the medical sector. A cross section of nurses interviewed claim that the number of nurses in the industry as we talk cannot be able to handle the rising numbers. The work load burden has been left in the hands of the nurses and the direct effect of the latter has been demotivation of the latter.
Poor resource allocation has been a major contributor to current state of medical profession. The industry has failed to make meaningful changes due to the fact that the resources are limited. Lack of resources has stagnated developments in the medical sector. Aside from continued lobbying by various medical bodies to have more resources allocated to nursing profession, no meaningful developments have been experienced. The medical practioners claim that poor resource allocation to the medical sector has been the number one contributor to the current state of things. Resources are important to the medical sector in the sense that they facilitate the process of make better and informed decisions concerning the industry.
What nursing unprofessionalism means to me.
The idea of unprofessionalism in the nursing industry means that my personal heath is at stake. This is a very serious situation that needs to be addressed once and for all. The health of the people should be taken seriously. The current state of the global environment and the unpredictable weather conditions has had a negative impact on the people. The United Nations estimates that the numbers of human ailments are expected to rise. This calls for decisive actions from the medical sector. The medical sector should be on the fore front in dealing with the expected medical crisis (American journal, 2008).
The unprofessionalism experienced in the nursing industry implies that unless something is done more deaths and patient suffering will be dominant in the health sector. The area of concern should be about children. Children unlike adults are prone to many diseases and other medical complications and more should be done to assist them from facing such diseases. Medical experts should focus on developing policies that will protect children from dangerous diseases that pose a great danger to their survival (New England journal, 2011).
The government should come in to address the rate of unprofessionalism in the medical sector. The government is the last resort to the current problem bedeviling the medical sector. The government should look forward to initiating various reforms in the medical sector. These reforms would enable sanity and medical professionalism to persist in the medical sector. The government should encourage private investors to invest in the medical sector so that the professionalism in the industry can be improved. This would facilitate the diversification of medical services and this would go a long way in improving the medical conditions in the country.
Personal Impact of medical unprofessionalism
Medical unprofessionalism has changed my attitude towards provision of medical services. This has prompted me to always seek medical attention from private medical institutions because the latter has been described to offer the best medical services. Various reports and surveys conducted in the medical field about provision of medical services point out that private medical institutions offer the best medical services to patients.
Unprofessionalism in the medical industry has prompted me to practice the common saying that stipulates that prevention is better than cure. This means that I will practice a lot of care in relation to diseases that can be prevented such as malaria, typhoid and diarrhea (American Cardiology Journal, 2009). This will help me to exercise great care when it to come to issues related to my personal health and the health of those close to me.
Lessons learnt
The topic of unprofessionalism in the medical industry has taught me that health is wealth as they say and that my health should be a top priority. In addition, the issue of medical unprofessionalism has given me knowledge about how to make decisions relating to medical providers that I should contact in order to get the best medical attention.
The case of unprofessionalism in the medical sector has given me knowledge about how I can contribute personally to the development of a better medical environment. This means that as an individual I will be able to play my role effectively in a bid to improving the overall medical outlook.
The issue of unprofessionalism in the medical sector has taught me about the various issues that are prevalent in the medical world. As an individual I have obtained some information related to the industry and this has given me some green light concerning the developments that will be expected in the medical sector.
Conclusion
The unethical and unprofessional codes of conduct highlighted about the nursing sector should be an eye opener to the patients and the medical practitioners. Both parties need to engage in serious consultations and deliberations which will chart the way forward for the sector. The stakeholders need to address pressing issues that have derailed developments in the sector. The medical practitioners in addition should go back to the drawing board and identify the strong point that the weakened sector should use in order to bounce back to meaningful development. This will be a step in the right direction.
References
Maxine, p & Hodgson, S (2008). Academic medicine. Research report, 79 (3), 244-249.
Volkow, (2009). British medical journal. Research report, 27(2), 37-45.
Cypel, M (2011). New England journal of medicine. Lung transplantation, 15(1). 76- 98.
Chretien, K. C &. Chretien, J.P (2008).Journal of American medical association.Research report, 20(2), 73- 87.
Knoebel, R.S. & Dittus, S.B (2009). Journal of American college of cardiology. Research report 34(3), 24- 53.
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