By Bernice Bessey
The Principal of the Korle Bu Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Mrs. Theresa Segbefia, has advised parents and guardians against forcing their wards into the nursing, simply because of job security.
According to her, nurses and midwives are truly in high demand by the nation to meet its acute health professional quest, but the noble profession only needs people who are compassionate about the job of human care.
She said many of the individuals forced into the profession tend to be insensitive, impatient and frustrated on the job, leaving most patients peeved, unsatisfied and worse off.
Mrs. Segbefia made the observation while addressing colleagues and students at the college’s 20th Alumina Anniversary dubbed “The changing phases of nursing and midwifery education in Ghana: Its impact on nursing midwifery practice,” last Thursday in Accra.
In time past, she noted that people accord great respect for individuals in the profession, as drivers offered them free rides to their places of work, but the situation had changed dramatically with demeaning effects.
“Our major problem is society; because there are no jobs everybody is pushing her son/daughter into nursing and midwifery. They come in as individuals and they are not modest; and you see, nursing and midwifery is a modest profession; it is a calling. And they come for a pre-period of three years, and you try to mould them and they are…,” she stated.
She reiterated that society was the factor behind some poor attitudes exhibited by nurses and midwives at various levels of the practice.
The Principal again queried parents; “Why do you send somebody you know not to have a good character into nursing. Some students even tell us that they did not want to be nurses, but their parents forced them.”
She also added that very soon, with support from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the college would be upgraded to university status.
In a keynote address delivered by the Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Mr. Georgina Kumi Kyeremeh, he also delved on the fact that the nursing profession had been in the spotlight, and questions being asked with respect to the quality of service delivery to clients and society in general.
As the causes of the problems had already been highlighted in the speech carried by the Principal, Mr. Kyeremeh skipped it by projecting some dynamic changing in the noble profession, as new diploma courses introduced by the college to give it more credence.
Others are better conditions for salary negotiations, standardisation for common play in the health industry, and avenues to circumvent patient care among others.
The President of the alumina, Mrs. Felicia Dagadu, explained to the students and invited guests that that the alumina was established with the aim to bring together all graduates of the college to foist close relationships and undertake assignments in the interest of the school.