Human resource is a basic pillar to strengthen health system 1. Mainly nursing staff and
their continuous efforts towards patient care are significant in improving health care system.
In terms of Pakistan the challenging routes are nursing education and training 1,2 that is
consider as least and thus it affects the work efficacy and critical thinking of nurses.
Ultimately that is less evidently visualized in patient care satisfaction and overall health
systems are impacted to a greater extent. For that purpose it is necessary to highlight the
issues in nursing education system in Pakistan that hinders quality of nursing professionals.
The most important issue is of minimal education that is matriculation or secondary
school certificate. Many schools in Pakistan provide Nursing three year diploma on basis of
on passing 10th grade. A tenth grader, who is young and naïve to understand the integrities of
health care system and patient quality care opts for nursing diploma. Where these students
undergo minimal training and basic educational study only. This situation doesn’t empowers
them to build pathological mechanisms and critical thinking related to patient care thus
impacting healthcare systems through decreased patient satisfaction 2.
The major gap between clinical and theoretical concepts is another challenge to
nursing education and training in Pakistan. Primarily, there is not such ritual following of
curriculum and almost every school of nursing in Pakistan has their own system of study
expect few quality schools. Secondly, this curriculum has high distribution of subjects and
credit hours which directly have no connection to nursing care at clinical level. The concept
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in educational hours are related to diagnostic relations of patients disease and pathogenesis,
while in the system of Pakistan the hospital runs where majority of the tasks completed by
nurses are following of physicians’ order or suggestions 3.
A study revealed regarding common visits of nurses to neurologists and psychiatrists
related to burnout and stress. These stressors are long working hours, shift duties, poor
quality of life, work load and decreased social life 4. Thus, this stressor brings a huge
impact of work and functioning of nurses, where patient can’t receive quality attention at
hospital. Nurses emphasis on completing tasks rather practicing a client centred approach, in
this situation. This decreases patient satisfaction and prolongs hospital stay and expenses 5.
Relocating health systems in Pakistan requires basic level fixing of nursing education
and training. In this regard, educational systems of nursing need to be stronger and powerful.
Intermediate should be maximum level of admission and nursing should be a bachelors
program with degree. Theoretical and clinical principals shouldn’t have huge differentiation
and roles of clinical nurses should be strengthening to bring a positive clinical system for
nursing students. Burden of nursing staff should be minimized with better growth
opportunities within the work place and more qualified nurses should be added in work place.
Lastly, image of nursing is a required agenda in Pakistan to improve status of nursing and
getting maximum impact from their qualities. This will surely improve an overall health
system in Pakistan that requires huge improvement currently.
