When we think about hospitals generally the first person who comes to our mind are doctors but along with doctors there are other professionals who also work for the betterment of patients but most of the time, they are overlooked and one such profession is Nursing. In this episode, Ms. Mugdha Shetye talks about Nursing as a career. Nurse are with patients all the time monitoring their progress, administering their medication, listening to their concerns, calming their fears and much more. If you are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare apart from doctors then you can consider Nursing as a profession. Nursing involves taking care of patients suffering from all types of physical and psychological ailments. There are various routes to enter this profession. To become an auxiliary nurse or midwifery or health worker, you can take the Auxiliary and Midwifery course (ANM). It gives the training to the aspirants on how to take care of the health concerning problems in rural areas especially children, mothers and old age people. The ANM course is for 18 months and can be pursued after class 10th. You can also pursue the course in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM). This program is to prepare a general nurse who functions as a member of the health team, who holds the first level position in both hospitals and other such places. The duration of the course is of three years and six months after class 12th with physics, chemistry, and biology as compulsory subjects. You can also pursue Graduation in Nursing. The course name is B.Sc. Nursing. It is a three to four years course depending on the institutes. The course provides basic knowledge about nursing, first aid and midwifery. The students are trained in all the theoretical as well as practical aspects of nursing. You can pursue this course after class 12th with physics, chemistry and biology as compulsory subjects. Further, interested candidates can pursue M.Sc. Nursing. The eligibility for the same is B.Sc. Nursing. The Duration of the course is of two years. Do note that you will need to clear relevant entrance exams for these courses. The field of work is both mentally and physically demanding as nurses are often to the health risk from infection and diseases. This profession demands long working hours which incorporates both skills and understanding of patient’s needs. The field demands you to have patience, courage, a service mentality, and readiness to work for extra hours and even do night shifts. The nursing profession calls for tremendous patience, responsibilities, and dedication. The job requires mainly the alertness of mind, team spirit, tact, compassion, and hard work. You should also be physically fit and in peak health as the job involves a lot of hard work. You should have the instinct to serve the patients without getting sentimentally attached. There is still a great deal of demand for skilled nurses in the field of medicine. The world is far away from reaching its brink when we talk about qualified and skilled nurses. The nursing field has also made its way in the corporate sector which further increases the need for skilled people in the field. Talking only of India we are far away from reaching the adequate nurse-patient ratio. Job prospects are available in government and private hospitals, old homes, armed forces, orphanages, industries, Indian red cross society, state nursing council, national nursing council and there are many endless possibilities available. You can also work as a freelancer for someone in the private sector. Many nurses from India do go abroad. Most of the nurses working throughout the world are from Indian state Kerala. The skilled nurses usually get employment in specialized fields like surgical, medical, ICU, telemetry and ER. If you are looking for a career in helping professions where no day looks the same and each day involves meeting various patients and various health concerns, then you can consider Nursing as a career option. For more information, please visit our website www.growthcentre.org or call us on the numbers mentioned below. Mumbai +91 22 25287474, +91 22 25288844, +91 96992 16857, Bengaluru +91 78296 88844 Connect with us on: Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/growthcentreindia Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/growthcentre Twitter- https://twitter.com/growthcentreltd