Humanitarian Nursing, Essay Example

Personally, the author of this response has chosen the career of a nurse to be closer to patients, get in better contact with them, observe their cases from the moment they arrive at the clinical setting, and to help with their treatment all the way until they get better. Moreover, a nurse does not only assure physical observation and treatment as prescribed. Usually, nurses are also psychologists – they check the patients’ emotional state and mental condition and give support and encouragement when needed. This perspective and attitude to the work of a nurse has motivated the author to pick this career path. Furthermore, becoming a humanitarian nurse is reflective of all the above-mentioned responsibilities and qualities, only such a nurse provides the services in critical conditions of a conflict or a disaster, attempting to help the victims and tending to their needs. In this response the author will explain how different roles of a nurse allow preparation for such a noble type of patient care.

Becoming a humanitarian nurse resonates with the author of this response because it assures the possibility to go to places where patients are deprived, lack resources and medications, live in the environment of internal conflict or natural disaster. Aware of the fact that nurses and doctors who arrive from developed states are well-trained and have care and treatment experiences, the author believes that in critical situations local people need both medical aid and psychological support of a sympathetic professional. A humanitarian nurse is exactly a person that can provide such a support. This is why the respondent has chosen to become a humanitarian nurse – to implement the experience and knowledge in a critical context where they are necessary at most.

Understanding that one cannot become a humanitarian nurse spontaneously, the respondent has prepared for the challenge with training. Becoming a registered nurse after passing a licensing exam and having enough working experience is only one goal; it will assure a nurse with the valuable knowledge and skills. Yet, specific vision and attitude are also necessary when a humanitarian nurse position is under discussion. For instance, according to Punjot, “The pivotal role of nurses has expanded continuously with time” (2019), and there is a list of roles a nurse can choose from, and due to the qualifications can eventually apply to become a humanitarian nurse and help people in remote areas iinternationally. Punjot (2019) asserts that a nurse’s role is far beyond looking after a patient at the bedside. A nurse can become any of a large list of qualifications and still maintain the role of serving, caring, and supporting patients. A nurse academician can train other nurses, while case managers tend to patients on a case basis. Nurse researchers can devote their career to studies, co-work with nutrition, engineering, and pharmacy specialists to examine and discover and give practicing nurses new insights. From emergency nurses to forensic consultants, to quality managers, and curators of hospital operations, nurses can choose careers and roles to perform in a healthcare setting (Punjot, 2019). Any of such professionals, evidently, can become a humanitarian nurse – having knowledge and experience and being available for traveling to distant locations, a nurse could devote their efforts to a good cause. As Freeman admits in her story, humanitarian nursing in developing countries “opened my eyes to the challenge of delivering high-quality healthcare in extremely difficult circumstances and to the reward of offering care to people who otherwise lack access to even basic medical services” (Freeman, 2019). The anecdote about a pneumonia case in a family in a rural location of Democratic Republic of Congo discloses a multifaceted issue of lack of professional care, medications, beds, and conditions for adequate treatment and saving lives.

The author has chosen a career of a humanitarian nurse to have impact, to bring change into similar situations, and improve the well-being of people that are in need in their life full of deprivation. Humanitarian nurses learn and obtain experience similarly to any other nursing professional, and they go further in their empathy and care, deciding to make sure that patients receive proper attention and support in conditions of political instability, violence, or disaster aftermaths.

References

Freeman, A. (2019). Care in crises: Nursing and humanitarian aid. Nursing Critical Care, 14(6), 47-48.

Punjot, P. (2019). Nurse’s role: Beyond the bedside. International Journal of Nursing Education and Research, 7(3), 432-434.