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Who can fail to be inspired by the picture
of Florence Nightingale? That lady with the lamp
changed the way people look at nurses. Since her
time, nurses are seen as embodiments of caring and giving.
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Nursing
as a career option could take a person from the antiseptic
halls of private nursing homes to the rough and ready
world of industry. They could also chose daredevil areas
of work as members of Search & Rescue teams or as
part of crack paramedical forces. With the increasing
emphasis on public health, better medical care and the
population figures touching the one billion mark, the
need for trained nursing professionals is on the rise.
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Gone
are the days when, nursing was a knack you had and bandages
were homemade stuff. Advancement in medical science
has led to the improvement in nursing education and
care. The training period for B.Sc. Nursing is of 3
years duration after Class XII. The other courses of
12 to 18 months’ duration after 10+2 are Diploma in
Auxiliary Nursing, Diploma/Certificate Course in Midwifery
and Health Visitors Course.
There
is also an option of doing a condensed B.Sc. Nursing
course of 2 years. The condensed course students can
become graduate nursing degree holders, after doing
the auxiliary nursing and midwifery certificate courses.
Further specialization can be taken in the fields of
cardiac care, neurological surgery, operation theatre
assistance, etc. They are also free to join nursing
training schools and colleges after doing M.Sc. Nursing.
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With
proper training and education, you will be armed (or should
I say bandaged !?) with the knowledge and skill to work
in hospitals, nursing homes, sanitariums, schools, industry
and private medical clinics. WOW ! that’s like a lot of
work opportunities and more over they are available in
both the private and public sectors. The nature of the
job of course, varies according to your chosen work arena.
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A
school nurse for instance, would need to take first aid
classes, give lectures to students on topics like health
& hygiene, attend to injuries and sudden illnesses
among children, supervise the student’s clinic, mange
the sanitarium, etc. An industrial nurse on the other
hand would work under the direction of an Industrial Physician,
rendering preventive, medical and educational nursing
services.
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Additional
training in fields like Psychiatric Nursing, Paediatric
Nursing, Operation Theatre Nursing, Cardiac Care, et
al enables these trained nurses to work in hospitals
& clinics which provide these specialist medical
services. They could also find jobs in Non Government
Organisations (NGOs) looking after their free clinics
or old age homes.
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Nurses work in tandem
with doctors for the speedy recovery of the patient. This
demands 8-10 hours of work per day. Recording temperature,
pulse, administering medication orally and hypodermically,
changing dressings, preparing the patient for surgery
are just a few of the nurse’s duties. The job demands
skill and understanding of the patient’s needs. You will
be required to work in and as a part of a team, take and
follow instructions, adapt to work schedules, make quick
observations and decisions, and of course, be willing
to work at odd hours.
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More
physically demanding activities such as lifting patients
from and on to a stretcher, movement of equipment and
helping incapacitated patients are taken care of by male
nursing attendants.
And that’s not all - nursing is generally regarded as
a noble profession and nurses are treated with respect
wherever they might work.
Dedication is what is required from a nurse. Order, patience,
responsibility, punctuality, professional commitment,
are some of the other essential characteristics a nursing |
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professional
should have. The people in the nursing profession are
also expected to have a calm, pleasant and caring
demeanor. Nurses need to be sensitive to the needs of
the patient and should be able to communicate and get
along with all sorts of people.
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So,
if the urge of doing something great and noble
has bitten you and you feel like choosing a profession,
which enables you to take care of people and give something
back to society, this is definitely it. |
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