Nursing Pay and Recognition Are Not Fair / Migration and Leaving the Profession Are Consequences of This Injustice

On the eve of Nurses' Day, the question of practical achievements for this professional group has been raised again. Ismail Shariati, a nursing union activist, in an exclusive op-ed for Safir Arjan, criticized the mismatch between nurses' pay and their responsibilities and the inefficiency of the payment system, stressing that commemorative honors cannot address this group's demands without tangible improvements to their working and living conditions.

Doctors and medical centers / nurses

On the eve of Nurse's Day, the question of practical achievements for this professional group has been raised once again; Ismail Shariati, a trade union activist in the field of nursing, in a special note to Ambassador Arjan, criticized the inadequacy of salaries with the responsibilities of nurses and the inefficiency of the payment system, and emphasized that special recognitions cannot meet the demands of this group without concrete improvement of employment and living conditions.

Ismail Shariati, an activist of the nursing trade union, wrote in a special note to Ambassador Arjan: In a situation where the salaries of nurses are still not proportionate to the responsibility, difficulty and volume of services they provide, and the implementation of the tariff law has not been able to lead to a fair and effective payment system, this is a serious question: what achievement are we going to welcome Nurse's Day with?

Nurse's Day can naturally be an opportunity to appreciate this group; But when an important part of the demands of nurses is still standing and there is no noticeable change in the field of salary reform, improvement of the payment system and actualization of the value of nursing services, what will be the meaning of celebrating without paying attention to these issues for the nurses themselves?

The issue is not only the amount of salary; The valuation of nursing services should also be proportional to the real value of these services. A nurse who is at the patient's bedside 24/7, takes on many specialized responsibilities and in many departments performs the major part of direct patient care, should have a payment system that recognizes this responsibility and professional value.

Even in the current situation, sometimes the cost of traveling for a nurse to attend a hospital and do a five- or six-hour overtime shift consumes a significant part of the amount of the same overtime, and in some cases it may approach or even exceed it. In such a situation, it is natural that the motivation to do overtime will decrease; Especially when inflation and living costs have put additional pressure on nurses' livelihoods.

The continuation of this situation can make the path of migration or leaving the job more attractive for some nurses; Because when an expert feels that there is not enough proportion between the professional responsibility, the amount of work he does and his income, he may look for another job opportunity with more suitable conditions and income.

Therefore, if Nurse's Day is not to be limited to a ceremony and a few special programs, it should have tangible and measurable benefits for nurses; From the reform of salaries and wages to the reform and effective implementation of the tariff law and most importantly, the realization of the value of nursing services.

Officials should note that human resources are the main capital of the health system. It will be difficult to maintain nurses in this system without reforming the payment system and creating a balance between service value, professional responsibility and income.

Nurse's Day can have a more real meaning for nurses when, along with appreciation and celebration, a clear sign of the improvement of their job and economic conditions is also seen.