Mumbai-based nurse Rashmi Sawant has been a nurse for 18 years now and has grown immensely in this time. However, she has seen that people still have misconceptions about the job. “In India, people think nursing is deemed as a low-level job,” she expresses, continuing, “I think people don’t understand the job hierarchy for nurses in India. People only think that we are a nurse, they don’t know we are registered nurses that also have different administrative positions.” If only they knew better, Sawant says, they would know it is a huge misconception because if you are consistent and credible, then there is a huge growth in the job.
 
Every year, International Nurses Day is observed on May 12 around the world to mark the contributions that nurses make to society. While doctors are hailed for their medical genius, the contribution of nurses may often be relegated to the shadows of the hospital corridors. However, times are changing and one of the biggest examples in the recent past has been that of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though all nurses dealt with patients, their families who were coming to terms with their death or sickness on a daily basis took out their frustration on them. At such times, nurses put on a brave front and do their best to give them hope and continue to do so even today and Sawant is only one of them.

Need for more awareness
Incidentally, Sawant’s sister inspired her to become a nurse. She explains, “When I saw her studying and working, I instantly thought I could fit into this profession. She had no ideals and was the first one in the family. The main thing about being a nurse is growth. I joined as a staff nurse, and today I am a deputy chief nursing officer after 10 years.” It hasn’t always been smooth sailing because the 44-year-old says every position had its own challenges but that helped her build her professional efficacy over the years. “It is refreshing to have a profession that is female dominated,” she says while adding that there is a confidence among patients that female nurses are more efficient. “How people treat nurses depends on how you are,” Sawant adds.