The elements of whanaungatanga-Tapu, mana, Pono, Tiki and Aroha as described by Pa Henare Tate in his thesis, resonates deeply with the nursing philisophy of caring for self, respect, trust and restoration. If this basis of traditional Maori society was better understood and accepted by New Zealanders- not least politicians and funders and legislators, perhaps the growing inequality and inequity issues we are experiencing as a society may be arrested.

The benefits of utilising the triumverate of Pono- the reality, Tika- what is right, and Aroha- what is compassionate in all my connections with people in our mutual efforts to achieve Te Wa -the journey of life – appears to be self evident. The knowledge inherent in these concepts are simple and clear. Many of the values that our New Zealand society hold dear are expressed within the traditional Maori values system, within their definitions of roles and relationships.Perhaps if more Kiwis (including Maori) were to be open to learning and accepting these in a more overt formal way within our lives and our work, whanau/child poverty, whanau violence, alcoholism and other negative behaviours may be more readily rejected and eradicated.

Simple in purpose but rich in content. And deeply empowering.

Is it because we need to justify and prove the value of nursing because the financial benefits to an organisation from nursing are so difficult to prove?

Is it because we, as women, need to describe what we do as nurses, to describe the complexities of nursing and how it relates to the patient/human experience of health and illness?

According to this article, the patient experience is so intrinsically involved in the quality of a service, that the nursing gets dissected within the evaluation of that service. So what happens when the evaluation doesn’t show a great outcome for the service? Where does that leave the nurses? Is it so intrinsically incorporated with the service outcomes that the nursing role gets thrown out with the bathwater?

Is this one reason why nursing is struggling for financial and professional respect/recognition in specialist roles, or why it is often the first service to face budget cuts? With all the research on the value of effective nursing and the positive effect it has on overall quality in an organisation (see Magnet hospital research for example), what other conclusion can we come to about poor funding decisions made for, and on behalf of, nursing?

And yes, once again, this article’s summary states that the study described “clearly demonstrated the complexity and multiplicity of components of the CNS role and its impact on patients”.

a sqatting scavenger

I have found a new name for those nurses who have decided they will go no further in their chosen profession than where they have been for the past 10(15)(20) years…they are squatters of the worst kind. According to The Muse, they clog up the system, do not let other nurses on their way up the ladder past and generally create a nuisance of inertia.

“Nurses with a passion to be more and do more deserve to run into open arms, not walls.  They deserve a boost, not a glare.  Only when we have relieved the ranks of Squatters, will the profession of Nursing rebound… with loyalty, retention, energy and pride.”

Hear, Hear!