Life of Nurses in India
If there is one profession that needs commitment, dedication and hard work, then it is the nursing profession. Almost all nurses lead a disciplined life that helps them to cope with the work that they do. The life of a nurse in India varies quite a lot because of the wide range in educational levels and working conditions. Here, you will be able to read about the life of a nurse who has completed at least a Diploma in nursing. Those who study the Auxiliary nursing and Midwifery (ANM) course will not be well paid and they will not be able to lead the life of a typical nurse.
Top reasons why you should be a nurse
1. Satisfaction of helping many people.
2. Good income opportunity.
3. Opportunity to go abroad.
4. Steady income
5. Guaranteed job opportunity
6.
Planning to go abroad? Check out this article on Salary & Career Options For Indian Nurses Going Abroad
Satisfaction in the job
One of the most important aspects that nurses gain is the satisfaction in their job. They have the satisfaction of helping patients who are sick and dying. There are times when even the family members abandon the sick patient and the nurse is the only person who cares for the patient. There is an anecdote or an instance of this job satisfaction that a nurse derived from her work.
Real life story of an Indian nurse
A young man in a remote part of India was suffering from HIV that caused AIDS. The young man was only 18 years old and he was on his death bed. A young nurse was assigned to care for him. The dying young man had a brother and two sisters, but neither them nor their parents were interested in caring for their son. The reason was that they were too scared of contracting the disease themselves. So, they abandoned the young man in the hospital and only used to visit him occasionally.
The nurse was the only one who used to care for the patient. She used to clean him up and brush his teeth and take care of all his wounds that were oozing blood. The young man even used to vomit blood that used to spill on the protective clothing worn by the nurse. The only focus of the nurse was to care for the patient. She was knowledgeable of the methods of protecting herself from infection and this made her provide excellent care for the patient. Many of the other health care professionals used to be scared to provide care to the patient. The young man who knew he was dying, had the satisfaction of being treated like a human being in the last few days of his life.
One fine day the young man died and the ultimate satisfaction to the nurse was that she was able to provide the best possible care for him. The parents of the man told the nurse that she was like a God to their family because she provided such good care to their son, which even his family members were not able to provide.
Shift duties
One of the important aspects about the life of a nurse is the duties that are in shift. Nurses usually work in three different shifts. Normally, the first shift of the day starts at 8.00 am and goes on till 4.00 pm or 5 pm. The next shift starts from 3.30 pm up to about 11.30 in the night. The third shift starts from 11.00 in the night and lasts for about 8 hours till 7.00 in the morning.
One important duty in the life of a nurse is handing over the charge to the nurse from the next shift. This is not a simple procedure. Each nurse may be in charge of about 5 to 10 patients. She has to hand over the charge of each patient to the nurse who comes for the next shift of duty.
The health status of a patient may change in a matter of minutes.So, it is important that the condition of the patient is informed to the next nurse. The medications that are being given to the patient and the other treatments / care being provided to the patient are informed to the next nurse. This is one important role of a nurse, especially when the duty changes from one shift to another.
Family support
A nurse needs a lot of support from her family members. Many people in the Indian society consider nursing to be just another profession. It is one of the very few professions where the professional not only works, but also is involved in helping others as part of her work. The job needs a lot of effort and commitment. This means that the nurse may be very involved in her work. Adequate family support is needed for a nurse to excel in her profession. A nurse may have to work during different times of the day according to the duty schedule. this means that unless there is family support and commitment, a nurse will not be able to excel in her profession.
Problems in the life of an Indian nurse
Are there problems in the life of a nurse? or is the life of a nurse all happiness and joy? Just like any other profession in the world, there are problems in the life of a nurse too. In India some of these problems are compounded because of the lifestyle and culture. A list of these problems of nurses in India are given here.
1. Poor pay of Nurses in India
The pay package for most nurses in India is less than that of people from other professions. This puts them under a lot of stress to deal with family problems and financial issues. The pay package is in proportion to their experience. This means that nurses who have just finished their education will have a very less pay. This demotivates them and this is one of the main reasons for young nursing graduates to prefer going abroad than working in India.
Do you want to know the salary of nurses in India and how much they can earn? Check out this article on the salary of nurses in India to know about the minimum and maximum salary you can earn. You will know more about the salary for each qualification and comparable experience.
2. Difficult working hours for Nurses in India
This is a perennial problem for nurses in India who work with patients. By this, I mean that there are some nurses who are involved in teaching and these nurses work during the day and there are no shift duties. On the other hand, staff nurses who work with patients have long hours and there are shift duties. One thing that works in their favour is that these nurses are much more satisfied with their work because they work with patients.
3. Getting emotionally attached to the job/patients
Many Indians feel that they are emotionally strong. The life of a nurse is a tough job because the nurse has to see people with various diseases. Some patients with serious sicknesses may even die in front of the eyes of the nurse. Other than this, some nurses who have cared lovingly for some patients may see them suffer and die right in front of them. All these can cause emotional scarring in the nurse. This is at times too much for a nurse and she may want to just get away from all the troubles. This is one of the serious problems that can happen in the life of a nurse.
4. Playing second fiddle to doctors
This is one of the major problems that is faced by nurses in India. The medical profession in India is dominated by doctors and unlike in Western countries, nurses do not have a clear job description in most Indian hospitals. This leads to more domination by other health professionals. There are only a few institutions / hospitals where nurses have a equal role to doctors in patient care.
The life of nurses in India is enjoyable if they like the job that they are doing and if they feel that they are serving the community and people around them. So, in fact, the happiness the nurse feels about her job is all in the mind. If you love meeting people and helping hem, you are sure to enjoy your career as a nurse.
Why do hundreds and thousands select nursing profession?
The profession is rewarding both financially and the mind too. It gives a sense of satisfaction to the person in the job. Being able to help a dying patient, a recovering patient and any other patient gives the nurse a sense of deep satisfaction. This is the greatest reward for the nurse, in spite of the hard work involved.
The financial benefits in this profession is also quite good. As India moves towards health care insurance coverage for all citizens under various schemes, the salary will only improve. This will pave way for better financial compensation for nurses in India. The nursing profession itself is growing from strength to strength thanks to the Indian Nursing Council, that ensures that all nurses are able to have equal opportunity. Also, the nursing council helps in standardizing the course and the profession.
