“A critical study the development of the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia”;
A critical study the development of the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia.
Introduction
These days, the nursing profession is considered the most important service in hospitals because nurses spend more time with and provide more care to patients, which mean that improving the nursing profession, will help to increase services to patients and improve health quality. Moreover, most countries are focused on the nursing profession are how to improve this profession to increase the quality in their health sectors.
This essay will examine current developments in nursing career in Saudi Arabia in important and different area. Firstly, it will explain the meaning and history of the nursing profession and after that will show the current status of nursing around the world. Then, the second part will address the status of nursing in Saudi Arabia. Then will present a critical examination of the impact of the shortage of nurses in Saudi Arabia. Finally, it will conclude the status of the nursing in Saudi Arabia.
Nursing is a career inside of the medicinal services division concentrated on the consideration of people who need medical care, families, and groups so they might achieve, maintain, or recuperate ideal wellbeing and quality of life (Shrestha and Joshi, 2014).
According to Oulton (2006), in most countries, nurses are considered the largest sector of healthcare professionals. They provide the highest proportion of patient care, both safeguard and therapeutic. In brief, there is a long history of nursing in Saudi Arabia, which started in the period of the Prophet Mohammed, under the direction of Rufaida Al-Asalmiya in the administration of the Muslim armed forces amid the period of Islamic wars (Tumulty 2001). Consequently, nowadays is considered the nursing profession one of the most important professions in the corridors of hospitals; according to Shultz (2009), professional nursing responsibility support safe nursing skills.
In the present-day most countries suffer nursing shortage, and there is great interest in retention of nurses (Abualrub, AlGhamdi 2012). In addition, according to International Council of Nursing and World Health Organization (2006), the worldwide nursing shortage has been a crisis in most countries for the previous decade. Consequently, nurses’ leaders must consider the factors that retain nurses (Algamdi and Urden, 2016). According to Algamdi and Urden (2016), the deficient number of Saudi nurses available to the health-care to achieve the health service needs has created to dependence on expatriates. Consequently, the Ministry of Health needs to provide jobs more and more national nurses. In addition, a national nursing workforce arranging system is desperately required to handle the deficient number of nurses (Almalki, FitzGerald and Clark 2011).
To take a brief at the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia, firstly, there are the deficient numbers of Saudi nurses available to the health-care services (Algamdi and Urden, 2016). On the other hand, there are some challenges facing the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia according to Gazzaz (2009), social Saudi rejection of mixed-gender work, as well the argument of Lamadah and Sayed (2014) that some students are interested in studying nursing but they hesitate because of their culture. Moreover, and according to Algamdi and Urden (2016), nowadays the nursing practice has been improving. The difficulties encountered, however are not restricted to medicinal services arrangements and regulations, but also instructive difficulties, sociocultural difficulties, staffing deficiency and absence of national or international benchmark databases (Abualrub and AlGhamdi 2012).
There is the relationship between nursing education and development of the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia. According to the WHO, health education in Saudi Arabia begin in Riyadh in late 1958, when the Ministry of Health started involvement with the World Health Organization, initiated the first health institute for boys (Althagafi 2006; Aldossary et al. 2008; Alhusaini 2006). In addition, the level of the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia improved after the Gulf War crisis when were there was cooperation between the USA and Saudi Arabia (Tumulty, 2001). In 1961, opened the two school were in Jeddah and Riyadh the first group of 13 Saudi female nurses’ graduated (Al Thagafi 2006; Alhusaini 2006). In 1967, the Department of Health Education and Training was setup by the MOH. However, the nursing education happens independently and competitively in two diverse ministries. Two sorts of nursing education projects are offered: the MoH Organization Programs for women and man, then the Ministry of Education university programs for women. As in the United States, pressure from doctors and health administration directors for many nursing specialists are resulting in various levels of educational preparation (Tumulty 2001). In 1992, the former regime change upgraded these institutes to be post-secondary health institutes. They register nursing graduates from the old institutes as well as high school students (12th grade, natural sciences) (Abu-Zinadah 2004; Alhusaini 2006). Currently, there are a total of 46 health institutes and junior colleges, divided between males and females in various regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Alhusaini 2006). During 2008, it was agreed between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Higher Education to transfer the nursing education to the Ministry of Higher Education to aim at developing the quality of nursing (Almalki, FitzGerald and Clark 2011).
Implications for Nursing Education in Saudi Arabia:
There is a need to establish more residency programs in Saudi Arabia health centres. Gives an setting up to proceed with investigation of nurse residency programs in Saudi Arabia and their impact on new gradate nurses' clinical skills. It is basic that nursing supervisors and approach makers in Saudi Arabia consider these results to enhance nursing profession in hospitals, which can affect patient care. There is additionally a need to move forward to communication between academia and the Health Ministry to keep in mind the end goal to address the gap in the middle of training and practice. There ought to be copartnership between of the educated community and the Health Ministry to bolster new graduate nurses' transition process, which is generally stressful. Moreover, repeated on a more extensive scale to have the capacity to advise teachers about the need to improve clinical skills aptitudes in undergrad programs (Aldossary, Kitsantas, and Maddox 2015).
Job satisfaction among nurses’
There are studies on job satisfaction of the nursing profession in different countries. The concept of nurse employment satisfaction is important for nursing managers. In the event that nurses’ mangers understand what makes their staff fulfilled, they can finding improvements to encourage nurses’ fulfillment and they will be more satisfied in their job (AbuAlrub and Alghamdi 2011). Campbell et al., (2004) state that nurses employed in the health care sector in the United States felt more content regarding work if they are included in shared decision making and participative management. Additionally, Dunn et al., (2005) undertook a study of 278 nurses in Australia working in critical care with the aim of the research being to understand their function and responsibility. Consequently, the results revealed that they valued and gained a great deal of satisfaction via relationships with their co-workers, providing work and care that is of a high quality. Furthermore, they also valued leadership and self-governance.
Omer (2005) established in a study in Saudi Arabia that both nurse managers and nurses had a greater appreciation of transformational elements than value-based variables. Al-Ahmadi (2002) investigated job satisfaction in a study of 360 Saudi nurses and determined that it was moderate. The research ascertained that aspects such as income and progression related to their job, employment conditions, use of skills and technical supervision influenced job satisfaction.
In their research, Zaghloul et al., (2008) noted that 499 Saudi nurses appeared to be: (1) less content in relation to their working environment, salary, benefits and hospital policies; and (2) were frustrated with bonuses, paid time off and recognition of their achievements, in addition to a fair evaluation of their performance. Zaghloul et al., (2008) ascertained in the study that 17% of nurses intended to leave their jobs, although more than 50% of respondents did not reveal any information regarding their plans in connection with their job.
Multicultural Nursing Workforce
An additional point is that although there have been rapid improvements made to the health care system (Aldossary, While & Barriball, 2008) in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Health is predominantly made up of staff who have been recruited from various parts of the world. Of the 100,000 or so nurses employed in the country, approximately 70% are from overseas, from countries such as the UK and US, whilst the remainder are Saudis (Ministry of Health, 2009). It has been stated that “The Saudi health care system is challenged by the shortage of local health care professionals, such as physicians, nurses and pharmacists” (Almalki, FitzGerald, & Clark, 2011; P.789). The amount of registered nurses employed in hospitals remains inadequate. Therefore, this shortfall needs to be examined and the numbers of local staff increased as soon as possible.
Expatriate nurses working in Saudi Arabia tend to bring a variety of different, attitudes, morals and behaviours, which can have an effect on their communication with patients and colleagues. Furthermore, their inability to communicate in Arabic can also have a negative effect on their work, especially with patients, causing frustration and misunderstanding regarding treatment. This is due to the fact that English is not the first language for the medical and nursing staff, as well as native population. In fact, it is considered to be the second language for a number of staff (Aldossary et al., 2008). In this situation, cultural differences and values can quite easily be misunderstood in an environment which is multicultural (Halligan, 2006). Consequently, it can be argued that these obvious differences in language and culture between the staff and patients in hospitals can have an effect upon staffs’ ability to work in a safe and capable way (Boi, 2000; Cioffi, 2005). Given the potential dangers this circumstance postures for patient consideration, it is important to see how social differing qualities can be successfully overseen in this multicultural environment.
Conversely, there must be an interest in human resources and solutions found to the dependence on international staff, while the Ministry of Health need to promote more understandable plans and a long-term vision through collaboration with both government and private sectors. A significant example of this can be observed in the King Abdullah International Scholarship Programme. In this case, personnel, such as those employed in medicine, nursing and pharmacy, plus a number of health subjects take priority. However, it is believed that a large number of medical colleges need to be established across the country, while the Ministry of Health need to revise regulations, in an attempt to improve and restructure human resources in the healthcare sector (Almalki, Fitzgerald & Clark, 2011).
Conclusion:
This essay has given the current status of nursing in Saudi Arabia and some important impacts on the nursing profession there. Many reasons are faced by the nursing profession to improve the quality of health, for instance, customs, traditions and education. Although the beginning of the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia was early, it did not develop as it should, have due to various factors which have prevented its development as stated in the paper. However, there is now more awareness of and focus on the development of the nursing profession, which leads to improvements in the health service to all beneficiaries of the service provided. Finally, many of research studies suggest that in the future the nursing profession will provide a very professional service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which will help the development of the health sector.