Often described as the backbone of health systems, nurses play a key role in the successful delivery of health services. They make up the majority of the European Region’s health-care professionals, but despite this, and in line with the growing international health workforce crisis, the Region is facing a serious shortage of well-qualified nurses. Attracting new student nurses to the profession is therefore crucial.
For this year’s International Nurses Day, we spoke to several trainee nurses to explore why they chose to pursue a nursing career, the importance of having the right temperament, and the key challenges they have encountered.
Lucas Otterstrøm Hyttel, Denmark
Lucas, 26, is a nursing student at University College Absalon in Roskilde, Denmark, but nursing was not his first choice of career.
“In summer 2017, I finished high school and was unsure what to do next. I decided to work for at least a year before doing some travelling, so got an entry level job at a well-known hamburger restaurant.”
Lucas quickly progressed there, first as a trainer, then as a manager.
“I learned that I enjoyed working in a team. After two and a half years I had grown as a person but felt that the time was right to study further and was considering starting business courses in either leadership or finance.”
However, still undecided, he approached a couple of his closest co-workers for advice and asked them what they thought his strengths were that might then suggest more of an education and career path for him.
“One of my co-workers told me that I always looked out for others and that I cared a lot about other people’s well-being. My other co-worker said similar things; that I had great people skills and was good at problem solving. Both said I’d make a great nurse!”
“At first I just laughed and told them that that would never happen, because I had a bad impression of the working environment and thought that salaries were poor.”
But everything changed in March 2020 with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Not only did the pandemic lead to the cancellation of Lucas’ travel plans, but it also prompted him to re-evaluate what truly mattered in life and to follow his co-workers’ advice.
He was accepted at nursing school and began his studies in February 2021. But even then, he questioned his decision.
“At first, I thought it was all quite boring. We studied the history of nursing in Denmark; how the uniform changed from a dress to a blouse and skirt, and then later pants and shirt – to be honest I couldn’t care less! But once we got to the anatomy and communication lessons and I got to take part in a 3-week clinical internship I was completely sold. This was the career for me!”
Inga Stefánsdóttir, Iceland
Inge, 46, is from Mosfellsbær, Iceland and decided to switch careers and take up a nursing education after the death of her mother.
“I’d worked as a teacher for 20 years and really enjoyed it, but when my wonderful mother lost her battle to cancer, I lost my zest for life. I felt the need to do something completely different just for my own well-being. After careful consideration, I decided to make an old dream come true and go to nursing school.”
Like Lucas, Inga believes she has the right temperament needed to be a nurse, with the added bonus that her background as a teacher has helped her get to grips with studying again.
“I’ve always had a strong urge to help people in need and to give something back to society. I care about people, and it comforts me to help ease people’s suffering, even if just for a short while.
“As long as I remember I’ve had an uncontrollable thirst for knowledge. Almost everything interests me, so it’s no wonder that I’ve really enjoyed the complex studies that have been part of my nursing course. The experience has also empowered me more than I expected and at the same time it has given me a completely new perspective on life.”
Inga is keen to stress though that she couldn’t have considered such a radical mid-life career change without the support of others.
“I have done well in my studies, thanks to my family and friends who have supported me in every way possible. They cheer me on during difficult times and without their encouragement I would never have joined the nursing programme in the first place.”
Asked about the specialism she would like to take up following completion of her studies, Inga has not yet come to a final decision, but has a few options in mind.
“I like everything that is complex, so intensive care unit nursing and anaesthesia would suit me down to the ground, but then I’m also interested in teaching nursing students myself, so we’ll have to see.”
Francisco Ferraz, Portugal
Francisco, 21, comes from Coimbra in Portugal. As with Lucas and Inga, the idea of going into nursing was not immediate, although he always knew he wanted to do something that helped people recover from ill health or injury and improved people’s quality of life.
“For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in sports; I started with swimming and then moved into football. That made me realize that I wanted to be connected in some way to health and well-being, so initially I had a physiotherapy course at university in mind.”
However, out of all the health-related courses, it was nursing that ended up drawing his attention the most, as Francisco explains.
“Nursing gives you the chance to interact with a wide range of people, from other health professionals to the patients you care for. I was particularly drawn by the idea of developing trusted relationships with patients, learning techniques for good communication to do that and being able to provide individual care. It also seemed to me that nursing offered the most opportunities for a future career.”
After leaving school, Francisco was accepted at the Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra (Coimbra nursing school), a day he describes as life changing.
“I’ve grown so much since starting the course. I’m forever being challenged by new situations and patient cases. It can be pretty intense at times, but I’ve definitely grown stronger and now see every difficulty as an opportunity to learn and to discover new ways to overcome any problems I encounter.”
Even so, studying has not always been easy and has impacted every aspect of his life.
“When you’re on a practical placement, you have no social life until the placement is done because the workload is just so intense. For example, I used to go for dinner with my parents, 2–3 times a week, but now that’s not possible.
“It’s also sometimes difficult to separate your personal from your work life. You want to be compassionate, but you can’t put your heart on the line all the time, otherwise it destroys you. It can be difficult to switch off at the end of a long shift, to digest all that you’ve done and seen – particularly if patients have died.”
Francisco still has 18 months before he completes his nursing studies, after which he hopes to go on to study for a master’s and PhD degree. It is perhaps no surprise then that Francisco eventually hopes to work in a research field, yet he is also considering a career in palliative (end of life) care.
“I have had dealings with the research unit at my university, which gave me the opportunity to connect to some really good research experts and to learn from them. I’m also involved in 2 international research projects regarding prevention and control of infections in low and middle income countries, in Africa and Asia.
“At the same time, I’m interested in paediatric palliative care or palliative care for adults. It’s an area that intrigues me, due to the complexity of care needed and the respect, dignity, care and love that’s required during the final stages of someone’s life.”
Working to raise standards of nursing and midwifery
WHO/Europe works closely with Member States, government chief nurses, WHO collaborating centres and other partners, such as the European Nursing Student Association and the European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations to implement the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery. This includes:
- strengthening the capacity of education institutions to secure a positive learning experience for the next generation of nurses and midwives;
- raising the level of nursing and midwifery education in the European Region as a contributor to patient safety and improved outcomes for individuals, patients, population groups and health systems; and
- creating evidence-based knowledge on nursing and midwifery; influencing national policies that will lead to the provision of high-quality, accessible, equitable, efficient and sensitive health services.