In celebration of Nurses’ Day, which was celebrated on Friday 12 May, Olivia Pharo, owner and director of Sister Pharo’s Primary Health Care, shared some insights into a profession she has dedicated so much of her life to.
“I am a wife, a mother and a nurse,” she declared. “I have been in the nursing profession for 33 years, but this is beyond a job for me; it is a calling.
“On 1 May 1995 I started community nursing at Wesfleur Hospital, which was very intimidating, especially after coming from a tertiary hospital where I was a trauma nurse.
“It was totally in contrast to what I knew. In tertiary hospitals there was a very militant way of doing everything and addressing superiors, patients and colleagues and the way we had to present ourselves in our uniforms and the way in which we conducted ourselves both on and off duty.”
Pharo says community nursing was different because of the individual interpersonal connections made with patients, a comfortable yet professional environment where superiors and colleagues were present, and where straightforward protocols were easily crossed and grey areas emerged.
“Over the last 18 years of my nursing career I was a nursing services manager, and this is where I became intentional in taking stock of what was happening in the profession and really needed to reconcile what should be happening.
“Younger nurses would show complete insubordination, their uniforms were untidy, they would come and go as they pleased, but I also believe there was a point where nurses really become despondent and start seeing the profession for the money and not as a profession within the health-care sector focused on the care of individuals, families and communities so they may attain, maintain or recover optimal health and quality of life.”
She explained that to curb the disarray the government instituted C²AIR² principles to promote competence and restore care in the profession.
“The department adopted the core values of caring, competence, accountability, integrity, responsiveness and respect.”
After this approach was tackled one could really embrace and experience a 360º turn in the morale of staff and their level of professionalism she explains. “So often nurses and the importance of their role in the treatment of a patient are overlooked because one is not a doctor, as if our work is not equally if not more important in the first line of health-care intervention
“I believe when Covid-19 came a new light was shed on the role that nurses played, regardless of how one was affected by Covid personally. Nurses showed up in every way.
“That was the first time in my career where I could genuine say I felt nurses were appreciated. The period of the pandemic really highlighted that nurses are strong enough to tolerate everything, but soft enough to understand everyone.”
Pharo said the roles had shifted and there was newfound respect and admiration for nurses and nursing care. She said now was the time to ensure that the admiration is due.
“Remember the reason you chose to become a nurse, no matter how difficult the days may be, no matter how difficult the patient is . . . dispense compassion and dignity.
“In the words of Maya Angelou, as a nurse we have the opportunity to heal the mind, soul, heart, and body of our patients.”
