Taking a seat at the table: an educational model for nursing empowerment

The human resources for health crisis has generated much debate as to the radical changes necessary to mitigate the risks to universal health coverage. Nurses can make a significant impact on global health, if only they feel empowered to take their seat at the political table.

The aim of this paper was to outline nurse-led initiatives to enhance organizational culture and clinical processes at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. These have been designed and implemented by the United Kingdom (UK) Defence Medical Services to empower the nursing workforce in Pakistan.

An educational model has been developed that will build capacity, within a workforce constrained by numbers, by bridging the gap between nursing theory and practice. It is geared to actively engage Pakistani nurses in quality improvement to ensure care is based on best evidence that will enhance patient outcomes.

The wider impact of the model has already been evidenced by nurses, country-wide, who are gaining the necessary skills and confidence to realize their true potential in influencing the patient care pathway and future policy. This is crucial to the recruitment and retention of nurses who might otherwise seek alternative career paths if they lack a sense of value within the profession. Their renewed sense of value will enable them to find their voice and ability to contribute to the sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.