From general ward to operation theatre, no hospital can function without them in tow. Every hospital needs them for smooth working of their health services. They are the much sought after nursing and nourishing staff.
As a profession nursing offers bright vistas of career prospects and challenges. Growth of the health industry of late ensured corresponding increase in the demand for nurses.
Among the responsibilities a nurse undertakes, general care of patients is at the elementary level and assigned to a junior nurses. He/she needs to acquire knowledge and expertise in handling the overall task of caring pediatric, psychiatric and intensive care patients at a senior level.
Setting up and operating medical tools and equipments, dispensing of medication and keeping records of the progress of patients are the key functions of the nurses.
Skilled and specialized nursing professionals are high in demand, thanks to the growing health consciousness in India and abroad. Be it Government and private hospitals, clinics or nursing homes, orphanages or old age homes, military services or industries and schools nursing offers bright employment prospects everywhere.
Besides, prospects of working abroad for a bright career are also bright for nurses from India. Majority of the nurses throughout the world belong to Kerala, a state from India.
For a career in nursing one needs to do the nursing courses. One can enroll himself or herself in any of the number of nursing schools and colleges scattered through out the country and pursue his education and thereby career in nursing.
B. Sc Nursing, General Nursing and Midwifery, Hospital Nursing, Military Nursing, M.Sc Nursing, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife/Health Worker are the major courses in nursing. Having finished any of these courses successfully you can take up nursing as a profession and work in a hospital.
With all the goodies that the profession offers, nursing also puts forth some challenges. A nurse has to be ready, physically and mentally demanding, mentally to face the challenges.
Exposure to infections is one of the main job hazards in the nursing profession. Long hours of work, night shifts and extended duties in emergency cases a nurse has to take in his/her stride all these challenges and must be courageous enough to handle all kinds of patients. They should be ready for night shifts and to extend their duties in emergency cases.
In health sector, nurses and nursing assistants constitute the largest group of workers.