Sunday, May 15, 2011

'Nurses should never stop learning'-Angels in white honoured for going beyond their call of duty|BANGALORE May 15, 2011, 0May 16, 2011


Monday, May 16, 2011 9:05 AM IST

'Nurses should never stop learning'



BANGALORE: Regarded as one of the most noble professions, the art of nursing goes beyond the books. Known for their compassion, politeness and novelty, the angles in white touch the lives of many, bringing about the much needed change. The legacy, the passion and the dedication to care and heal is something that sets the profession apart from many other.“A nurse should never forget his or her novelty, compassion and knowledge,” said Justina Nancy Mendonca, nursing superintendent, Columbia Asia hospital. Justina was awarded with the best nursing superintendent award at the Florence Nightingale Awards 2011 recently.Justina started her career almost a decade ago and never looked back since then. She says that her journey as a nurse has been fabulous and smooth. “Although I never desired to get into this profession, I found myself hugely involved once I took it up. It’s a noble profession which gives me immense satisfaction at the end of the day,” said Justina.Justina also feels that a nurse should never stop learning as it helps her to take better care of the patient. But she also feels that the condition of nurses and nursing as a career in our country is on attrition.“Although India has very good institutions generating some fine nurses of all times, the problem arises once we start working. Nurses trained in India with probably the best curriculum available, move out in search of a better paid job,” said Justina.But she also adds that with corporate hospitals mushrooming, the future of the noble profession looks bright and healthy. “The government hospitals in our country need technological change at a large scale. Awareness regarding technologies needs to be cultivated,” said Justina.Over the introduction of males into this female dominated profession, Justina feels that male nurses are an important addition and play a meaningful role.“They come in handy in certain emergency situations. It’s good to have them around. But due to the one-to-one nature of the job, they are not accepted everywhere in this female dominated field,” said Justina.She also feels that despite all facilities and above average institutions available in the state of Karnataka, majority of nurses working across the state are from other parts of the country. “Seventy per cent of the nurses working in our hospital are from Kerala. This is an alarming situation and although organisations like Students nurse Association, Trained Nurses Association and Karnataka Nursing council are working towards this, it is necessary to bridge this gap,” said Justina.

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