Image of a Nurse in India

I joined Nursing in 2003, until that time I was not aware of the nursing profession. Now, after becoming a nurse; is provoking me to think why we (most of the rural people still are) were not  aware of this profession though it came to India  in 1664 as East India company started the hospital for the soldiers at Fort St.George, Madras with the sisters (nurses)  from St Thomas' Hospital, London. Now, it is 348 years old profession! Still, the image is stereotyped, pessimistic and a robotic role. 

Where this 348 years old profession, failed?  Why we were not able to build a professional image of self-reliant, optimistic and confident. If you study this issue again we will be confronted with fundamental issues like gender inequality, Caste system, illiteracy and lack of value based education system. It is very unfortunate to learn about a profession of 348 years old was not able to build a socially acceptable image. Then, who should be held accountable for this, either the society or the people of this Nobel profession?

Did we try consciously to build the acceptable image ever?

To know this we have to introspect (honestly I did not so far) did you? So, let me ask few questions to you, 

What is an image?

 (Answer: A representation of the external form of a person)

How many have joined this nursing by choice?

Does nursing profession attract youth to be a part of it?

If there are not nurses what would be the state of peoples’ health?

Does a child in India be able to recognize the role of a nurse?

At last, the how the media perceived the nursing?

How does the word sound Nurse? Female, Male or a frontline healthcare worker.

Those questions might look simple, straightforward however these are the motives for this article. 

Indian Media: How it is depicting the Nurse?

In India there are three powerful media; they are Film (Cinema), Television and Print media. How many positive stories you heard about nurses in Indian media? for your information there 515 TV channels in India. Does a single channel, did ever try to look into the life of nurse? Fortunately this time most of the national media covered the prestigious National Florence Nightingale Award. You take any cinema either regional or Bollywood how the role of a nurse is caricatured? It is always dumb, or someone who does not understand patient at all or an object without any emotions! Why it is so? Is it because of perception or else lack of knowledge regarding the profession or it is just mentality of the media? Are not we making a difference in the people’s lives so they can perceive the right image of nursing? Moreover, news channels always victimize the nurses in the incidents of sexual harassment and assaults rather objectively reporting the story.

How societies look at Nurses?

Societies have perceived us as trained health care workers but not as an educated healthcare worker; this perception is very much evident in all most all organizations and even in most of the national health policies. For example line of authority, you will not find a horizontal line of authority in any organization, everywhere it is vertical; means nurse has to report someone non-nursing vertically. It is much scientifically proved that horizontal or like-minded inter-department relations and collective efforts will result in better results.

Image Source: http://www.rediff.com/money/report/column-where-have-all-the-nurses-in-india-gone/20151104.htm