How To Pursue A Career In Nursing? Courses And Scope

Every profession serves the basic need of money but some lend true job satisfaction by invoking the feeling of service to mankind and humanity. And, when you work for such a good cause, seldom do you get bored or frustrated with your work. Amongst the many professions which are a form of social service, such as those of a teacher, a soldier, a reporter, a police and a politician, the most respectable and hallowed is nursing.

Nursing is not a profession like any other 9 to 5 job where you work for the required hours and go back home stress-free. Here, you have to dedicate your time depending on the need of the circumstances. You are not just assisting doctors in taking care and monitoring the physical and mental status of patients but you also need to be a counsellor at times. You have to encourage the depressed patients to have faith in the medical treatment regimen and assure that they will be alright.

A nurse looks after the physically or mentally imbalanced patients who need constant supervision and require to be imparted with scheduled medication. Apart from a noble profession, it is also known to be high yielding one as the pay is fairly good, depending on the organisation you are working in.

Specialisations In Nursing

Since there are various segments in the medical field, every segment has its dedicated nursing professionals for which there are related courses. Some of the specialisations in nursing are:

Psychiatric nursing
Public healthcare nursing
Paediatric nursing
Orthopaedic nursing
Military nursing
Industrial/Occupational health nursing
Home health nursing
Hospital nursing

Courses For Nursing

First of all, in order to make a career in nursing, you need to have passed 12th standard with the subjects physics, chemistry and biology. Once you clear HSC by satisfying the marks criteria required to pursue medical studies, you can enter the bachelor's program of nursing.

However, to get admitted in the course, you have to clear an entrance exam linked to the institute you wish to opt for and the score of this exam makes you eligible for the admission. There are a few types of courses dedicated to nursing which are granted by various colleges across India.

The widely adopted course for nursing which could be studied post-12th standard is BSc (Bachelor of Science) in nursing which is conducted by numerous medical institutes across the nation. BSc in nursing is divided into two categories including BSc in nursing (basic) and BSc in nursing (post-basic), amongst which the former is a four-year degree program.

In order to pursue BSc in nursing (post-basic), you need to have a diploma certificate in general nursing and midwifery (three-year diploma program) while you should also be a registered RNRM (Registered Nurse Registered Midwife) with the State Nurses Registration Council. Moreover, you need to have a certificate of experience of working for at least two years with an authorised organisation.

Yet another diploma course for nursing is ANM (auxiliary nursing midwifery) which requires you to have completed your 12th standard with the subjects physics, chemistry and biology. Although its standard duration is of 3 years, it depends on the institute which conducts the course. After completing this course, you get eligible for various profiles including rural health worker, basic health worker, health visitor and home nurse.

After you complete your undergraduate program in nursing, you can also choose to acquire further expertise by pursuing a postgraduate degree. Some of the postgraduate programs along with their specialisations are:

MSc (Master of Science) in nursing
MPhil (Master of Philosophy) in nursing
MSc in community health nursing
MSc in maternity health nursing
MSc in medical surgery nursing
MSc in mental health nursing
MSc in paediatric nursing
MSc in obstetrics and gynaecological nursing

Scope

With the increasing number of diseases emerging everyday around us, the need for dedicated and compassionate nurses is on a continuous rise. The requirement for quality nurses won't decrease in the near future. It's up to you, how passionately you desire to spend your life along with this career.

Apart from the noble cause which you support through this profession, the rewards which you get in return in the name of salary is also commendable which depends on the organisation you get inducted in. Some of the top recruiters of nursing professionals in India are Manipal Hospital, Max Hospital, Global Hospital, Wockhardt Hospitals, Medanta Medicity and Fortis Healthcare.

No matter who you get to work with, adopting nursing as a career gives you an opportunity to have the blessings of patients showered on you, which goes beyond the materialistic satisfaction.