CAREER OPPORTUNITY IN NURSING

 Nursing is an integral part of medical care system. It is the

art of caring sick people with the science of health care and believed to be one of the noblest jobs in the world. This domain of work is particularly women specific. At the initial level, nurses are required for the bedside care of patients. At the senior level they are required to manage special group of people like psychiatric, pediatric, intensive care patients etc which required specialized skills. Besides these they are also involved in dispensing medication, keeping records of the patient's progress, setting up and operating medical equipment, administration and several other routine works.

Courses

One should complete the nursing courses to start a career in nursing. The major courses are B.Sc Nursing, General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM), M.Sc. Nursing, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife/ Health Worker (ANM). For B.Sc. Nursing eligibility is 10 + 2 with biology, Physics and Chemistry. The duration of this course is 3 to 4 years. M.Sc. Nursing  (Duration is 2 years) can be done only after B.Sc. Nursing course. The eligibility for GNM and ANM course (Duration 2 and 3 years) is 10 + 2 with any stream. 

Career Prospects

There are wide employment opportunities for B.Sc. / M.Sc. Nursing / GNM / ANM Degree holders in public as well private sector. They can seek a job in government run hospitals, primary health care centres, dispensaries and health projects and scheme run by government departments. They can also be employed in schools, orphanages and old age homes. In private sectors nursing homes, clinics are also open to them. They are also recruited by military, railway department for their departmental hospitals. They can also aspire to be getting employed in industrial houses and factories. Besides these they can opt for teaching in training institutes as educators.

Graduate Nursing Opportunities

Advanced education in nursing is done at the master's and doctoral levels. A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Master of Nursing (MN) degree takes from one to three years of additional full-time study beyond the program of initial licensure. It prepares the graduate for specialization as an Advanced Practice Nurse (APRN). Areas of advanced nursing practice include that of a Nurse Practitioner (NP), a certified nurse midwife (CNM), a Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL), a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), or a clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). Nurse practitioners work assessing, diagnosing and treating patients in field as diverse as family practice, women's health care, emergency nursing, acute/critical care, psychiatry, geriatrics, or pediatrics while a CNS usually works for a facility to improve patient care, do research, or as a staff educator. The CNL is an advanced generalist who focuses on the improvement of quality and safety outcomes for patients or patient populations from an administrative and staff management focus. Doctoral programs in nursing prepare the student for work in nursing education, health care administration, clinical research, or advanced clinical practice. Most programs confer the Ph.D in nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), but some confer the Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS or DNSc), Doctor of Science in Nursing (DSN), or the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.). Doctor programs take from three to five years of full-time study to complete.

Career Opportunity After General Nursing Diploma Course

Nurses and nursing assistants are the largest group of professionals in the healthcare sector. The job of a nurse is exciting and challenging at the same time. There are extensive responsibilities on nurses and they are directly responsible for a patient's care during the treatment period. Nurses don't just take care of those who are sick but also educate those who are well. The very basic requirement to become a nurse is to have spirit of service. One should be loving, dedicated, gentle and have immense patience to effectively take care of the physically weak, injured, infants, recuperating mothers, old patients and also mentally challenged patients. Apart from having patience and skills, nurses should also have good physical strength and stamina as their job is quite physically demanding.

• Those who wish to take up this career undergo specialized training to learn skills and knowledge to work as professional nurses.
• After the completion of the course, one can look forward to getting hired as a general nurse on duty or work in hospitals, nursing homes, as school nurse, in industry and private medical clinics.
• In normal hospitals and nursing homes, specialized nurses work with patients in a particular category. It could be surgical cases, maternity patients or pediatric cases.
• There has been a lot of development in this sector and consequently, nursing education and care has also been constantly improving.
•   The training to become a nurse includes both theory and practical practice. One could seek admission into a nursing course straight after class XII.
• The entry to these courses is merit-based. After 12th class, one can pursue a two year certify course in Auxiliary Nurse Midwife and three year diploma in general nursing from reputed nursing colleges in India and abroad. Students from science stream are preferred in this.
• There is an entrance exam to get admission into this nursing course.
• The exam includes objective type questions in English and General Science. Other than this, one can do a four-year B.Sc in nursing.
• The basic eligibility for this is pass in XII with Physics, Chemistry, Biology. Also there are certificate courses in general nursing (GN), general nursing midwives (GNM) and male nursing (MN). The eligibility for these courses is 17 to 25 years of age.
• Thus, there are degree, diploma and certificate courses to choose from in nursing. One can also go for post graduate training in nursing.
• There are 2-year Master's Degree, M Phil and PhD courses. Mostly nursing courses are taken up by women only but there are seats for male candidates too.
• After the completion of one or more of these courses, one can take up a job in a hospital or a nursing home or a dispensary to gather practical experience. Nursing jobs are of various types.
• The most common and the largest group of nurses is the hospital nurses. The job of these nurses is to give bedside care to recuperating patients.
• Also, they assist main doctors and physicians when they examine or operate upon a patient.
• It is a demanding profession that requires 8 to 10 hours of work each day. Nurses record temperature and pulse rate of a patient at regular intervals or as advised by the doctor.
• They administer medication orally and give injections. Nurses are required to change dressing and assist patient in personal care. All these duties require patience, skill and understanding of patients needs.
• Nurses have to observe the condition of the patients closely and inform the doctor of the daily progress report or in case there is an emergency with the patient.
• Nurses are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the ward and to ensure a hygienic atmosphere for the patient.

Other than a hospital nurses, one can also work as a school. These nurses supervise student's clinic and attend to injuries or any sudden illness amongst students. They also impart first aid skills and health and hygiene practices to students. Then, there are specialist nurses such as psychiatric nursing, pediatric nursing, operation theatre nursing, cardiac care nursing. They require special training as they have to work in these specialized areas. There is a growing demand for Indian nurses abroad. In Gulf and the Western countries, nurses get lucrative jobs. Hence, there has been an increasing demand for nursing courses in India.      

Posted in: Advance Nursing