Nurse is a person who is trained to take care of the sick. A Doctor can become an expert in a certain subject like cardiology,urology, neurology etc. But a nurse is trained to gain knowledge in almost all the important fields of medicine. Being a nurse is a challenging job and demands a lot of hard work and dedication.
HOW TO BECOME A NURSE:
- After 10+2(Intermediate Bi.P.C), one should pursue Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (B.Sc Nursing) which is a 4-year undergraduate course.
- In case any candidate has done a diploma course/ certificate course in nursing, they can go for Post Basic B.Sc Nursing course. It is a 2-year course.
- After 10+2, one can go for GNM(General Nursing and Midwifery), whichis a 3½ year course.
- After 10+2, one can also go for A.N.M (Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery)
- which is a 2-year course. It helps you to become a community health worker, home nurse, health visitor, rural health worker.
- You can become a nurse by opting for any of these courses.
- Government hospitals
- Private hospitals
- Nursing homes/Clinics
- Rural health centres
- Government health schemes
- Community health centres
- Medical labs
- Military
- Teaching institutions
- Medical colleges
- Good clinical skill and knowledge
- Good communication skills
- Emotional stability
- Analytical skills
- Patience and perseverance
- Empathy
- Multitasking ability
- Concentration
- Co-operative mindset
- Interest in learning new methods and treatments.
- The main duty of a nurse is to monitor the condition of a patient.
- Nurse is responsible to take care of the patient’s physical and emotional needs for restoring patient’s health.
- In operation theatres, nurses should collaborate with surgeons to carry out surgeries efficiently without any hustle. Nurses are required to supervise the equipment for surgery, arrangement of equipment, sanitation of the theatre, pre-operative health status of the patient and also vital data of the patient.
- In post-operative care, the nurses play a vital role in maintaining the normal physiological state of the patient. They take care of the electrolyte levels, blood pressure, side effects of surgery, medication to be taken after surgery and provide psychological support to the patients and their families.
- Before the prescription of a medicine to the patient by a physician, a nurse is required to enquire the patient. Nurses should collect important health history from the patient. They should also do the primary physical examination of the patient.
- Nurses assist in laborrooms and also take post-natal care of the mother, monitor the health condition of the mother as well as the new-born (neonate).
- Nurses are required to maintain records of patients, surgical equipment stock, medicinal stock, departmental duty charts etc.
- In emergency cases like road traffic accidents, nurses monitor and provide emergency care to the patient to maintain consciousness and prevent the patient from going into shock.
- Based on qualification, some nurses become community health workers. Their main job is to raise awareness among the public about personal hygiene, public sanitation, vaccination programs, disease control methods, nutrition etc.
- Nurses can also become nursing teachers, lecturers and professors based on their qualification.
The condition of a nurse’s workplace is actually dependent on the department he/she is working in. For example, working emergency care (ICU) is a bit stressful and the nurse should be able to cope up with the pace and tension in such cases. In operation theatres, nurses should be utterly concentrated, keen and observant. In paediatric, post-operative and other such departments, though the mental stress is relatively low, they require keen observation, analytical skills and great medical knowledge. In conclusion, if you are confident with your skill and knowledge, nothing is really stressful.
JOB TYPES:
- Staff Nurse: Staff Nurses are trained in various departments of medical field. Based on the allotment and duty chart maintained by the administration of the workplace i.e, hospital/clinic/nursing home, they are required to work in different areas like operation theatre, out-patient admission, paediatric ward, gynaecology ward etc. Most of the responsibilities of a staff nurse have already been discussed above.
- Community Health Nurse (C.H.N): Students who graduated in A.N.M/G.N.M can become a Community Health Nurse. The duties of a C.H.N mainly include education of the public. They can work in clinics as a nurse and they can also visit patient’s home as a Home nurse or Health visitor. They play a key role in raising awareness among the public about various health issues like sanitation and hygiene, personal hygiene, vaccination programs, educating pregnant mothers about diet and child care, public health schemes, health insurances and health care.
- Nursing Superintendent: A Nursing Superintendent is an experienced staff nurse and is responsible for planning the schedule for placement and rotation of nursing staff, nursing students, working staff of different units in a hospital and maintaining a smooth working schedule for all the staff. Nursing superintendent also has to review census, maintain patient documents, reviewing stock of medical equipment and medicines, reporting shortage of stock of equipment, reporting any repairs regarding the equipment, going for rounds in hospital wards and make sure that the required treatment is provided to the patients.
- Department Supervisor: Department supervisor is a staff nurse who is allotted as a supervisor to a unit in the hospital. Department supervisor makes sure that all the staff nurses in that unit provide the required care and treatment to the patients especially post-operative cases and serious illnesses, as suggested by the physician/surgeon of their unit. Other duties involve assigning staff nurses, going for bed-to-bed rounds, reviewing the patient records.
- Nursing Service Administrator: There are many designations on different levels like Director of Nursing, Nurse Manager and Chief Nursing Officer that are a part of Nursing Administration. Their main duty is to make up schedules for working staff, budget planning, maintaining the health policies and regulations along with supervision of staff nurses and providing health care to the patients.
- Military Nurse: This is the most risky and challenging job. Military Nurses are trained to work in military environment, emergency life- saving skills along with basic nursing skills. They should be mentally stable and strong. Their main job is to provide treatment to the injured. The injuries may involve gun shot wounds, injuries with severe blood loss, cuts etc. They work not only in times of war, but also during peace-time. They provide treatment to the patient’s minor injuries that might occur during practice sessions and also provide mental support to the military personnel.
- Teacher of Nursing: Nurses can also work as trainers, tutors, lecturers in medical colleges, universities, hospitals and train nursing students.
- Industrial Nurse: The main job of an industrial nurse is to provide first-aid to the employees, maintaining health records of the employees. They also analyse the safety measures, health hazards in the workplace, examine the mental and physical condition of employees and educate the employees about protective methods and health policies.
The initial salary of any nursing job ranges from Rs.15,000-Rs.40,000. With experience, salaries will be improved and can be as high as Rs.1,00,000.