“During 2013, Netcare’s approximately 10 000 nurses touched the lives of a staggering 1.2 million patients in the group’s hospitals throughout South Africa. Nurses working in the emergency departments of Netcare hospitals helped resuscitate nearly 30 000 patients and provided invaluable care and support to just under 1 000 rape survivors in their darkest hour. Additionally, in just one of the many community outreach initiatives in which Netcare nurses are involved, they trained 112 000 people in trauma injury prevention.”
This is according to Shannon Nell, director: nursing and nursing education at Netcare. She points out that in addition to these impressive figures, nursing professionals within Netcare’s primary healthcare services division interacted with most of the 3.2 million patients who visited Prime Cure and Medicross facilities countrywide.
Nell points out that the above figures are just for the Netcare group and do not take into account those patients who were treated by other private hospital groups and by the public healthcare sector. Nevertheless, they give us an idea of the highly significant role nurses play in our modern society on a daily basis.
“Nurses are a universal symbol of compassion and are more often than not the first point of care for patients in need. In the United States of America the public has ranked nursing as the top profession for honesty and ethics for the past 12 years. However, around the world and particularly in South Africa, the work of nurses remains greatly underestimated and undervalued,” asserts Nell.
Speaking ahead of International Nurses Day on 12 May, Nell says that nursing is a challenging profession, which requires a very special and caring type of individual. “New entrants to nursing will be surprised by the wide range of specialties they can pursue. Someone wanting to become a nurse needs to appreciate that the profession is a science and an art dedicated to the service of others. Nursing professionals need to
be willing to take care of people who are at their most vulnerable. The best nurses have a desire to make a difference in other people’s lives,” notes Nell.
“But for those individuals who have a passion for it, nursing is a very rewarding profession. The clinical aspects of medicine greatly interest many people, and there are also so many areas of nursing in which one can specialise, making for many opportunities for career advancement.”
“Anyone who is intending to make a career out of nursing should continue to update and expand their knowledge as much as they possibly can. This is because medicine is constantly evolving and individuals will be better placed to take advantage of all opportunities on offer if they have the necessary clinical knowledge. There is a dire need for nurses who have experience, expertise and skill.”
“Between 2012 and early 2013, 1 322 nursing graduated at Netcare Education’s five campuses around South Africa. Overall, Netcare invested around R40 million in various staff development initiatives in 2013.”
“We at Netcare thank our nurses not only for their dedication to the group but for their outstanding service to the community at large. Our society would not be able to function without our nurses and we extend our deepest gratitude to them,” says Peter Warrener, group human resources director of Netcare.
“Nurses form the backbone of our healthcare system and without them providing their special brand of care and support, doctors and specialists would find it impossible to care properly for patients. Yet all too often these remarkable human beings and the important role they play are forgotten or underestimated,” concludes Warrener.
Ends
Issued by : Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) on behalf of Netcare
Contact : Martina Nicholson, Graeme Swinney, Sarah Beswick and Jillian Penaluna
Telephone : (011) 469 3016
Email : [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected]