If there was one person who could embody all that went into being a nurse, it would undoubtedly be a 17-year-old girl from England — Florence Nightingale. Her dedicated service during the Crimean war of 1853 got her an unrivaled place in history as the ‘lady with the lamp’.
As nurses in the city celebrate her birth anniversary as Nurse’s Day on May 12, the profession too is witnessing a welcome change. With attitudes becoming more professional, there is growing awareness and importance about this service. Something that is attracting 17-year-olds once again.
Says Achiamma Singh, principal, Tehmi Grant Institute of Nursing Education, ‘‘Previously there much older women opted for the profession. Nowadays, fresh school pass-outs — about 17 years old — are opting to be a nurse as they find the profession very challenging.’’
With better facilities, advanced technologies and teaching methods and the career offering a wide range of opportunities, youngsters seem to benefit from the options. Sangeeta Battise, teacher and nurse, Tehmi Grant Institute of Nursing Technology, says, ‘‘All the 60 students in my class are below 21 years of age and are very enthusiastic. Even ten years ago only girl’s in desperate need of a job opted for the profession. Nowadays nursing colleges train newcomers. In Maharashtra there are 13 nursing colleges. The training methods and facilities have also improved technologically. This has helped to increase the awareness amidst youngsters.’’
The profession has also seen fresh graduates opting for jobs outside India, with an increasing demand for Indian nurses abroad. According to Tapati Bhattacharjee, dean of nursing and principal, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Nursing, ‘‘There are several young graduates who are joining hospitals abroad, especially in the UK, USA, Australia and Ireland. The pay packages are good and future opportunities are better too.’’
Bhattacharjee also says that an important reason behind the demand for Indian nurses abroad is because ‘‘They are considered more patient and kind compared to their own nurses and can spend eight long hours sitting close to a patient’s bed. This kind of manual jobs — like tending to a patient — is comparatively less in demand among nurses of foreign countries. They want to focus more on administrative jobs.’’
Having trained 15 nurses for an American entrance examination for trained nurses — Commission of Graduate Foreign Nursing School (CGFNS) — the Mumbai-based placement agency, Oman Agencies has several interactions with professional nurses. Mentions Kunal Sinha, business development manager, ‘‘We opened a training centre in Pune this January. Besides having several enquiries, we also had 15 trainees studying for the examination. The CGFNS examination is a difficult one. Five of our Pune students have already appeared for it and two have successfully cleared it.’’
A job that was till recently considered a woman’s domain now has men joining as trained nurses. Says Meena Ganapati, principal Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha, Institute of Nursing Education, ‘‘The awareness among boys to join the profession has increased considerably. I have noticed that in a batch of 50 students, nearly 30 are boys. This is important because they can serve at odd hours, do night shifts and stay in ambulance services. Family or other responsibilities often hold back a woman from working odd hours.’’
IF there was one person who could embody all that went into being a nurse, it would undoubtedly be a 17-year-old girl from England — Florence Nightingale. Her dedicated service during the Crimean war of 1853 got her an unrivaled place in history as the ‘lady with the lamp’.
As nurses in the city celebrate her birth anniversary as Nurse’s Day on May 12, the profession too is witnessing a welcome change. With attitudes becoming more professional, there is growing awareness and importance about this service. Something that is attracting 17-year-olds once again.
Says Achiamma Singh, principal, Tehmi Grant Institute of Nursing Education, ‘‘Previously there much older women opted for the profession. Nowadays, fresh school pass-outs — about 17 years old — are opting to be a nurse as they find the profession very challenging.’’
With better facilities, advanced technologies and teaching methods and the career offering a wide range of opportunities, youngsters seem to benefit from the options. Sangeeta Battise, teacher and nurse, Tehmi Grant Institute of Nursing Technology, says, ‘‘All the 60 students in my class are below 21 years of age and are very enthusiastic. Even ten years ago only girl’s in desperate need of a job opted for the profession. Nowadays nursing colleges train newcomers. In Maharashtra there are 13 nursing colleges. The training methods and facilities have also improved technologically. This has helped to increase the awareness amidst youngsters.’’
The profession has also seen fresh graduates opting for jobs outside India, with an increasing demand for Indian nurses abroad. According to Tapati Bhattacharjee, dean of nursing and principal, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Nursing, ‘‘There are several young graduates who are joining hospitals abroad, especially in the UK, USA, Australia and Ireland. The pay packages are good and future opportunities are better too.’’
Bhattacharjee also says that an important reason behind the demand for Indian nurses abroad is because ‘‘They are considered more patient and kind compared to their own nurses and can spend eight long hours sitting close to a patient’s bed. This kind of manual jobs — like tending to a patient — is comparatively less in demand among nurses of foreign countries. They want to focus more on administrative jobs.’’
Having trained 15 nurses for an American entrance examination for trained nurses — Commission of Graduate Foreign Nursing School (CGFNS) — the Mumbai-based placement agency, Oman Agencies has several interactions with professional nurses. Mentions Kunal Sinha, business development manager, ‘‘We opened a training centre in Pune this January. Besides having several enquiries, we also had 15 trainees studying for the examination. The CGFNS examination is a difficult one. Five of our Pune students have already appeared for it and two have successfully cleared it.’’
A job that was till recently considered a woman’s domain now has men joining as trained nurses. Says Meena Ganapati, principal Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha, Institute of Nursing Education, ‘‘The awareness among boys to join the profession has increased considerably. I have noticed that in a batch of 50 students, nearly 30 are boys. This is important because they can serve at odd hours, do night shifts and stay in ambulance services. Family or other responsibilities often hold back a woman from working odd hours.’’