Nursing, the recognition of a profession through practice

Antonio Arribas Cachá

Abstract

That Nursing is a science, with its own field of action and development within the health disciplines defined in the field of health sciences and that its own space of action is currently the basis on which the development of all health actions programmed by the health system focused on the health care of the population must be based, are facts that are confirmed, recognized and even regulated by different regulations at present, such as our own General Health Law.

Attention to the promotion of the health of the population, through health education and the promotion of responsible self-care, constitute the foundation and the most effective measures for the prevention of the appearance of diseases and other problems of health and well-being of the person. These actions are part of the care of the person, the family, the group or the community, which is the foundation and essence of nursing practice.

The attention to the basic care requirements of the person throughout his or her life cycle and the specific care requirements existing at each moment depending on the existing health conditions (disease) and his or her specific characteristics and needs at each moment establish the contents of the nursing professional action, which must be assumed in coordination with the rest of the health professionals, playing the role of professional reference.

From this brief approach, it is easy to see the visibility and leadership that the role of nursing should have in the multidisciplinary health team and in society, in order to achieve the desired health objectives. However, the reality in practice indicates that this is not happening to the desired extent, which is causing health deficits and inequalities in the population.

This situation has been detected by international organizations and institutions, which have led to the launching of initiatives to promote the leadership and visibility that nursing should have in multidisciplinary health teams.

As part of this initiative, the international Nursing Now campaign for nursing was established in collaboration with the International Council of Nurses and the World Health Organization, establishing 2020 as the international year of nursing.

This campaign aims to coordinate the implementation of activities worldwide that will change the vision, influence and leadership of nursing in the year 2020, setting its goals on:

- Increased investment to improve education, professional development, standards, regulation and employment conditions for nurses.

- Increased and improved dissemination of effective and innovative nursing practices.

- Greater involvement of nurses in global health policy.

- More nurses in leadership positions, and more development opportunities at all levels.

- More evidence for policy and decision makers on where nursing can have the greatest impact, what is preventing nurses from reaching their full potential, and how to address these barriers.

For this year 2020, countless events had been scheduled and coordinated to ensure that nursing had the necessary visibility in the community as a health agent capable of leading health processes within the multidisciplinary team. It was the year marked on the agenda by all the institutions to provide an impetus that would serve as a basis for reversing this situation.

All the institutions were aware that the objective was to give an impulse, to break the immobility in which nursing visibility and leadership was immobilized, but that nursing should then take advantage of the momentum of the campaign to give it continuity and achieve the desired objectives.

However, a tragic and unexpected event such as the coronavirus pandemic has put an end to all the efforts and work planned for this international year of nursing.

All projects have had to be suspended and the revitalizing impulse of the image of nursing has been put on hold, so the hopes of breaking the immobility were postponed.

However, curiously, in this crisis, an unexpected event has occurred, which has had the effect of revitalizing the image of the nursing professional in a way that had never been achieved before. The presence, mention and recognition of the work of nursing professionals in all social media have been and continue to be very relevant, as never before. So although this revitalizing boost to their image has not been possible with the Nursing Now campaign, the one achieved by the coronavirus pandemic has been of similar dimensions.

This is a reality that is worth analyzing and drawing conclusions that will allow us to move forward, since we will not have this opportunity on many occasions.

The first conclusion is drawn from the very nature of nursing, as a practical profession, whose theoretical developments alone are not sufficient if they are not put into practice.

No matter how many theoretical campaigns are carried out to make the community aware of the work of nursing, if the nurse does not assume in practice the development of all these services to the community, it will not be possible to achieve this change.

Nursing cannot achieve visibility and leadership based on what it can do, but must put it into practice and carry it out, despite the problems, complications and difficulties encountered in carrying it out.

The second conclusion is that this situation has generated the push, the movement of immobility, which must be taken advantage of to continue it and not let it pass. Recognition of the work of nursing in crisis situations must continue in situations of recovery and overcoming the crisis.

Nursing professionals should continue to contribute their knowledge, skills and dedication in practice in the recovery of the biopsychosocial sequelae that the pandemic has generated in the population, occupying the same leading role that they have played during the pandemic, and subsequently in the prevention of the emergence of new situations.

The momentum has been achieved, in an unexpected and undesired way, but if we do not give it continuity we will fall back into the immobility of nursing.

Antonio Arribas Cachá