Quaid-e-Azam said in a speech in 1944, “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you; we are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners.”

Women empowerment refers broadly to the expansion of freedom of choice and action to shape one’s life. It implies control over resources and decisions. An empowered woman will be one who is self confident, who critically analyses her environment and who exercises control over decisions that affect her life. The idea of empowerment manifests itself at all levels of societal interaction. It is found in giving a voice to the weak and marginalized. It requires having an access to the needed tools and materials for the expansion of capacities. Women empowerment has five components: women sense of self worth; their right to have and determine choices; their right to have access to opportunities and resources; their right to have the power to control their own lives, both within and outside the home; and their ability to influence the direction of social change to create a more just social and economic order nationally and internationally.

National development must be balanced with the equal distribution of resources to both males and females as in Pakistan females are approximately 51 percent of the total population and without the active participation of females Pakistan cannot achieve the required level of growth rate. Since the creation of Pakistan in 1947 it inherited the menace of poverty and the burden of this poverty was put heavily on female population because of the reason that the majority of females are involved in agriculture work, performing tasks to maintain household , carrying water and collecting fuel wood but their work in productive activities is unrecognised and, therefore, the female participation represented in economic activities seems to be low.

o promote the gender equality and women empowerment; to highlight the importance of women representation and participation in decision making; and to motivate the women towards public and private sector employment, GRAP is organising awareness raising programmes like celebration of events, seminars, workshops and trainings at district and at provincial level that are being organised on regular basis through its three main units ie, Gender Mainstreaming Units(GMUs) at provincial level, Career Development Centers at University level and Gender Support Units(GSUs) at district level.

Moreover, for the promotion and protection of women rights, to restore the personal security and dignity of women and to give them protection at workplace, the Pakistan government has taken deliberate and conscious steps like reservation of 10 percent quota for females, on the political side, reservation of thirty three percent seats for women in all local bodies (more than 36000 women councilors), seventeen percent seats have been reserved for women in the constituent assembly, senate, provincial assembly and in national assembly, to tackle the issues of harassment and to eliminate the gender based violence.

No doubt Pakistan government has taken many measures to enhance the participation of women in economic sphere but instead of all this, there is dire need to upgrade the status of women in society and it is only possible through giving them protection legally and mentally. She should be given access and control over resources. An effective mechanism should be institutionalised to enable the women in decision making at all levels. Subject of gender studies should be introduced from secondary level in the course curriculum, provision of women friendly infrastructure and environment at workplace, research and documentation on the achievements of women and launching of awareness raising campaigns among citizens on gender and development.

The Health Care Industry is one of the most important industries if not the most important one. The Health Care industry consists of everything from the little pharmacy across the street, drugs processing plants all the way to the hospital where we immune our kids. The Health Care industry affects nearly every living person. Most people don’t realize how important this industry is and how it affects their everyday lives, not to mention how complicated it is. That is why it is so critical that products and services of this industry are at their highest quality and are free of harm to ensure that the consumer will not face any damaging consequences. Therefore, as any other industry, quality in the health care system has become the element in the world’s market competition and Total Quality Management (TQM) plays a big role in promising that result.

Nurses are directly involved in almost all aspects of hospital quality, including patient care, bedside and medication management, assistance with surgeries and other major operations, data collection/reporting, and more.

Furthermore, nurses are directly responsible for monitoring and assessing patients, and performing immediate interventions to reduce risk or prevent medical complications. Nurses also oversee other care providers, i.e. CNAs, LPNs, patient care technicians, caregivers, and more. An attending nurse even helps educate patients and family members regarding post hospital care, before discharge.

Demand for Hospital Quality Improvement:

The demand for quality improvement in hospitals is ever increasing due to federal government mandates, as well as local requirements, accreditation or regulatory boards, hospital organizations, medical societies, non-profit organizations (NGOs) and health insurance plans. Core qualities reported may vary in terms of target medical concern or hospital department, but in most cases, employee and patient feedback is included in the measurement.

Magnet Recognition:

Among numerous programs demanding or requesting hospital quality improvement, the most relevant for nurses is the Magnet Recognition. It was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) – a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association – in order to recognize hospitals which provide nursing excellence. 

The Magnet Recognition program is based on an appraisal consisting of 14 characteristics. Foundationally, Magnet looks for a strong presence of nurses in the organizational committee structure of hospitals – including executive functions – empowering nurses in all levels to have a voice in hospital processes. While Magnet was originally focused on recognizing hospitals with higher nurse retention, there are researchers which have proven that Magnet-awarded medical institutions boast of lower mortality rates and higher hospital quality care in general.

Challenges Involved

Some of the usual hindrances involved revolve around nurses. Problems include inadequate staffing or uneven distribution of schedules, demanding responsibility which covers all aspects of patient care, ineffective nurse training, inefficient administrative tasks, and traditional nursing education, which often clashes with advancing nursing techniques.

Staffing and Patient Care Quality

In relation to staffing and scheduling, research from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) pointed out the direct connection between hospital care quality and nurse staffing. 

Staffing is directly related to hospital budget considerations as well as the demand of the local labor market for nurses. Quality of care, on the other hand, is dependent on various factors, such as a nurse’s experience, skills, and education. Another important aspect is the human factor. Fatigue and stress can lead to a decline in patient care quality due to errors in medication, treatment, usage of medical devices, data reporting, and more.

In conclusion, Healthcare organizations are required to focus on total quality improvement and providing acceptable, quality health services to patients at affordable price within reasonable price, within in a reasonable time. We have learned by past experiences as Nightingale’s efforts to improve the quality of medical care. The Health Care Industry is one of the most important industries if not the most important one.

Throughout time the world’s image on Nursing has evolved rapidly. Nurses work in an extremely stressful environment and must carry out their duties in a professional manner to ensure proper procedures are followed throughout their routines. They also have a considerable amount of responsibility that comes with their career. For those reasons nurses must present themselves in a professional and structured manner at all times. The Image of Nursing describes how people in and out of the profession see nurses. Nurses must protect and continuously improve their image by fully applying themselves to their profession every day.

Generally only people who have had extended contact with nurses, in the healthcare setting or as family and friends, really understand what nursing entails. We need to do much more to get the correct image of the nurse out there – that of an educated and highly skilled independent professional practitioner, male or female, who is self-assured and confident.

1. Have pride in your profession

When asked in a social setting what your job is don’t answer with “Oh, um, I’m just a nurse” as though you are ashamed. Hold your head high and reply with confidence something like: “I’m a nurse working at St. John’s hospital in the pediatric unit”. If relevant, add that you are a specialist, e.g. in critical care. This may be a good opening for further conversation.

Never criticize patients, co-workers, your employer or the profession in front of patients or in social settings. The place to vent about your horrible day is either at home with your family or alone with your nursing colleagues or best friend.

2. Maintain a professional image

Look and act like a professional person 24/7 – wherever you are you serve as a role model of who and what a nurse is.

Professional appearance starts with good grooming and workwear appropriate for a professional person. Keep to the dress code of the institution where you are working. Cartoon characters on uniforms might have a place – but only on a pediatric ward.

Introduce yourself to patients and explain to them who you are, why you are there and what are going to do. Explaining procedures and medications, and the reasons for them, not only reassures the patient but also shows that you are knowledgeable and confident in what you are doing.

3. Get the nursing story in the media

A study conducted by Woodhall on nurses in the media during 1997 was published under the title “Health Care’s invisible partner”. It was found that nurses were referred to in fewer than 4% of over 2000 health articles in newspapers from across the United States. The researcher came to the conclusion that this largest group of health care providers was virtually invisible to the public.

The main career motivator for most nurses is service, rather than money or power and prestige. This is why nurses shy away from and are unaware of the need for media to promote the profession. For the public to understand the major and indispensable role of nurses in healthcare, they need to be shown who she is and what she does.

4. Become a community leader

Given their education, background and exposure to community issues nurses can serve effectively on various platforms and become leaders in their communities. Participation by nurses at this level shows them as concerned and knowledgeable citizens and enhances the public image of nursing. Participating in community activities also contribute to your own professional development.

5. Speak up for you and your patient’s rights

How many times have we been advocating for safe nurse-to-patient ratios? Numerous studies (here, here, and here) have found out that understaffing causes increased risk not only for patients but also for nurses. These studies support the minimum staffing levels, but hospital administrators are reluctant to adopt them, of course, to save money. Press would usually attribute the overburdened state of hospitals to a national nursing shortage, but most everywhere there has been a surplus of educated nurses for years.

6. Make a difference

Contribute to the future of your profession – what you as a nurse do or say does make a difference. Be proud to be a nurse, always look and act professionally, help to inform the public about nurses and nursing an example within your community.

Conclusions

Promoting and sustaining positive nursing image is very crucial in nursing profession to keep nurses to be motivated to work and retain in the profession to be more professional and be a role model and mentor nurses everywhere you go to promote nursing image either in personal life or professional workplace. It is also very inspiring to correct public media’s misconception of nursing image by writing to them to keep inform and upgrade them regarding positive image in nursing to recruit more staff to join nursing and retain in nursing and to enhance job satisfaction, job performance. By actively involved in professional organization to talk to policy maker, writer to media or newspaper to keep them well-informed of nurses’ achievement and to get recognition from public.