Shortage of Specialties and Staff Deficit: Nurses Assert Their Essential Role from Alicante

Mystery solved. The large blue question mark that appeared this past weekend in Alicante's 25th of May Square was a precursor to the event organised by the Alicante College of Nursing. Under the slogan 'Ask Your Nurse', the initiative aimed to publicise the work of these professionals by setting up a tent where citizens could ask health-related questions. A station for blood pressure checks and a prize wheel offering items like mugs, water bottles, and small first aid kits were also available.

The event started at 10 a.m. and will remain active until 6 p.m. The vice president of the Provincial College, Francisco Gómez, explained on Monday that the planned activities include courses to teach the public first aid techniques, which are also open to school groups.

"We want to emphasise the message that nurses are present at all stages of life, from birth to death. Professionals are not always aware of what society thinks about our work. That is why the General Nursing Council has launched this initiative: so that people can ask us questions and give us their impressions of our work," Gómez stated.

Meanwhile, the president of the entity, Montserrat Angulo, took advantage of the event to make a series of claims about the profession. "We demand more nurses, especially midwives, in the public system. We also question the way the school nurse role has been implemented. The way it was announced by the Department of Health made it seem like new positions would be created in educational centres. However, what has been done is a restructuring: a nurse is assigned to each health centre to act as a reference in the schools of their area, but without creating new positions," she denounced.

Angulo also urged the Administration to implement the nursing specialties system and to require it for work in different care levels, as is the case with doctors: "The only specialty that is currently truly required is that of midwifery. It is an anomaly because we are training nurses in specialties that they cannot then practice professionally."