Who's a Nurse?
The nurse is an integral part of the healthcare sector, as they focus on assisting patients during their physical or mental health recovery. As a nurse, you will be assisting doctors with surgeries, recovering patients or those being treated in Intensive Care Units. You will also be the link between the patients and the doctor. As a nurse, you would be expected to follow through on the treatment plan prescribed by the doctor and ensure timely delivery of medicines, injections, etc. Nursing special patients such as mentally or physically challenged patients, those in palliative care or those who are terminally ill, require special training and qualities. While this may seem like a female-dominated profession, there are plenty of opportunities for all genders.
What will you do?
Where will you work?
How do you get there?
What skills would you need?
Adaptability
If you have adaptability as a skill, you can easily adjust to new situations, roles, or challenges without losing focus or productivity. You’re able to embrace change, whether it’s a new technology, a shift in team dynamics, or a sudden project requirement. This skill allows you to remain composed during transitions, learn quickly in evolving environments, and stay effective when facing unexpected problems or shifting priorities.
Technical Skills
Technical skills refer to the specific knowledge and abilities required to perform particular tasks, often related to technology, engineering, computer science, or specialized fields. These skills encompass a wide range of competencies, including proficiency in software applications, programming languages, data analysis tools, and technical writing. Mastering technical skills allows individuals to effectively utilise tools and technologies relevant to their job roles. Strong technical skills will enable professionals to troubleshoot issues, implement solutions, and contribute to innovation within their organisations. build this skill
Communication Skills
Communication skills are the ability to clearly express ideas, information, and feelings, both verbally and in writing, so others can easily understand. This includes listening effectively, using the right tone, and being aware of non-verbal cues like body language. These skills help you explain your thoughts clearly, build relationships, and work better in teams. Good communication is important in almost every job, from customer service to leadership roles, because it ensures that tasks are understood and done correctly, and it helps prevent misunderstandings. build this skill
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail means being careful and noticing small things that others might miss. It involves checking your work carefully for mistakes, following instructions exactly, and making sure everything is done correctly. This skill helps you do accurate work and avoid errors. In jobs, attention to detail is important for tasks like writing reports, managing data, or following safety rules. build this skillHow do you make it to the top ranks?
Staff Nurse
This is the entry-level position for a trained nurse after going through the induction process to familiarize with the hospital infrastructure and procedures.
Senior Staff Nurse
Senior nurses perform many of the same tasks as staff nurses but have authority when they are in charge of the ward or department area during a shift. Senior nurses also mentor the junior nurses or new joinees to ensure that procedures are being meticulously followed.
Nurse In Charge
A Nurse In-Charge is a Senior Staff Nurse with additional responsibility as in-charge of a ward in the hospital or other healthcare facility during their shift. These nurses perform many of the tasks that general nurses do but also have some supervisory duties. Aside from caring for patients, the charge nurse ensures that everything is going smoothly during a shift and coordinates between the staff nurses and physicians or hospital administrators.
Nursing Superintendent or Nursing Director
The Nursing Superintendent or Director is responsible to the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for planning organisation and development of nursing services in the hospital in consultation with the Medical Superintendent. Other responsibilities of the Nursing Superintendent include – overall in-charge of nursing services in a hospital or specialized centres, implementing hospital/centre policies amongst various nursing units, assisting the CNO in the formulation of hospital policy, particularly concerning nursing services.
CNO (Chief Nursing Officer)
The CNO is the top nursing position in a hospital and needs to work closely with the Hospital Director and keep them informed of happenings in the hospital. The CNO will be responsible for the efficient running of the nursing services of the hospital and various centres of the hospitals. Leadership responsibilities include – budgeting, formulating and implementing broad nursing policies, plan future requirements of nurses and arrange for recruitments. The CNO will also have to interact with other hospitals regarding the improvement of patient care. She/he will keep herself abreast of the latest happenings in nursing care with the objective of improving the quality of nursing service in the hospital.
Pursuing your career locally VS abroad
The Union Health Ministry data reveals that there are only 1.7 nurses per 1000 people in India which is a disappointing figure compared to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) prescribed standard of minimum 3 nurses per 1000 citizens. At present, India is facing the second-largest shortage of nurses in the world after Bangladesh. So there is a pressing need for more nurses within the country. There are many good nursing colleges within the country such as AIIMS, Delhi; CMC Vellore; JIPMER, Puducherry, AFMC, Pune to name a few. All of them offer B.Sc and M.Sc (Nursing) courses. Approximate total course fees for B.Sc. (nursing) range from INR 7,000 to INR 80,000, depending on the institution.
There is very good job scope for nurses overseas, with nurses featuring in the long term skill shortage list in many of the developed countries such as Canada, UK, Australia, USA, New Zealand, Ireland etc. You can expect impressive starting salaries of around £24,000 (INR 24,00,000) per year in the UK and around $48,000 (INR 35,00,000) in the USA. Registered nurses and those with B.Sc or M.Sc (nursing) with at least 1 year of experience can apply to work in these countries after appearing in the qualifying tests. English proficiency is important so you will need to clear the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Occupational English Test (OET). Application requirements vary from country to country. In Canada, RN applicants must successfully complete the NCLEX-RN and the RN/RPN Jurisprudence Examination among other requirements. Those who plan to study nursing in the USA have many great options with top colleges such as The University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing (UICCN), The Penn School of Nursing of the University of Pennsylvania, and The University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) to name a few. In the UK some of the best colleges are the University of Edinburgh, Cardiff University, University of Liverpool, Queen Margaret University, the University of Glasgow among others. Courses are usally costly. For example, total fees per semester are around $16,000 (INR 12,00,000) at the UICCN. Fees for a Bachelor of Nursing course at the University of Edinburgh is around £28,950 (INR 30,00,000) per year for international students.
How much would you get paid?
Nursing salary packages increase with increasing experience. The more industry experience you gain, the more skilled nurse you become.
What are your career options?
Health Services Manager
This role involves directing the overall operations of a medical facility. You will be expected to hire staff, prepare budgets, track spending, oversee patient billing, and make sure that all policies and procedures comply with relevant regulations. Additional training specifically in healthcare management will be an added advantage.
Nursing Informatics Specialist
If you have an inclination towards IT, you can consider a career as a nursing informatics specialist, which leverages both nursing knowledge as well as technical expertise. Nursing informatics specialists aim to use information processes and technology to manage health data and support the work of nurses. The goal is to use data to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve patient outcomes. It’s important to have strong skills in information technology. You can also consider pursuing a masters programme in Nursing Informatics.
Burn Unit Nurse
A Burn Unit Nurse would work in a hospital that specialises in the treatment of burn victims. You would work with a team to stabilize burn victims, prevent organ failure and infection, and achieve healing. You would need to care for patients who require ventilation, work to alleviate their pain, provide wound care, aid skin regeneration, and prevent further complications.
Community Nurse
The focus of a community nurse is to involve a local community in educating them about health risks and preventative measures. As a community nurse, you would teach patients and their families about diseases, carry out various controlling and preventative measures. You would also be actively involved in advocacy and public health policy development to address social justice issues. In the current pandemic situation, community nurses are required to facilitate vaccination of eligible persons, ensuring quarantining of infected patients, etc.
Epidemics Research Nurse
As an epidemics research nurse, you would work in research laboratories, hospitals, and medical clinics to administer vaccines, check lab work and assess patients’ overall health during epidemics.
Occupational Health Nurse
Occupational health nurses maintain employee health and safety within an organization and create plans for health-related work events. The practise focuses on promotion and restoration of health, prevention of illness and injury, and protection from work-related and environmental hazards for the employees of the organization. You would often need to participate in organizational and regulatory audits and health and safety committees.
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