In life, everyone aspires to be recognized for who they are. The dehumanization of patient care, since the last reform of the health system in 2015, has often been denounced. This reform surely had the good intention of improving the system. However, we attempted to control the most complex variable to manage: the human being. What about the dehumanization of the nursing profession since this reform?
Since the start of my career as a nurse, the most beautiful compliments received from my patients have been: thank you Karine for your presence, thank you for your smile and your listening skills. Kindness, empathy and human relationships are concepts that are an integral part of this profession. I would even say that they are fundamental values.
What happens when our deep values are violated and the management of the system of which we are part has the objective of performance, to the detriment of human beings? The situation offers two options: confront the contradiction of our own values with those of the system or flee. As we have seen, several nurses in the network have chosen to flee in recent years.
Trust relationship
The cause is simple: as in any nurse-patient relationship, the basis is the creation of a bond of trust. In this case, I would say that the bond of trust between the network nurses and the system managers needs to be taken care of. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is almost non-existent confidence and 10 is unshakeable confidence, subjectively, I rate it at 5. It is time for the scales to tip to the right side. The justification for this 5 appears to me to be the dehumanization of nurses.
In light of recent negotiations between nurses and the ministry for the renewal of their agreement, the tone demonstrates a lack of goodwill on the part of the government. The dehumanization of nurses in the negotiations reduced them to percentage figures for salary increases spread over the next few years. But underneath all these numbers, remember that a nurse is a healthcare professional who has the skills required to practice, governed by a strict professional body. Let us remember that the difficulty of the OIIQ admission to the profession examination was called into question in the last year.
My knowledge as a nurse leads me to “prescribe” this: increase the dose of recognition of nursing skills and their valorization! I am not referring to the paternalistic recognition that qualifies us as guardian angels in times of crisis, I am talking here about respect for nursing knowledge and skills in the health system and the humanization of the profession.
Here is my humanist vision of the nursing profession: 1) Recognize the nurse with her skills and build on her power to act by encouraging nursing leadership; 2) Take into consideration the environment in which the nurse operates (family, social, socio-cultural); 3) Take into consideration your own interpretation of your role as a professional in the health system; 4) Support them in their professional objectives in practice.
Taking care of Quebec nurses means helping to care for individuals, a population and an entire society. Will the scope of Minister Christian Dubé’s new health agency reduce the opportunities for expression of nursing leadership? I sincerely hope that this new reform will not have the effect of reducing nurses and all health professionals to simple figures, to an employee number.