Nursing is an exciting, interesting, varied and satisfying profession which offers lots of opportunities such as continuing education, employment, a range of career pathways, and career progression. For individuals who love to travel and who wish to travel in the future, nursing is known to be one of the best professions to study abroad and to seek employment around the globe. For example, nurses from India have travelled to many destinations around the world to further their education, and to seek out new opportunities and employment including Australia, America and Europe. A European destination growing in popularity amongst Indian nurses is Ireland, especially the city of Cork which is quiet, scenic and its people are full of warmth and hospitality.
As a profession, nursing combines empathy with sophisticated health demands. It is a dynamic profession which has had to adapt to various healthcare challenges such as ageing populations, increased complexity of patient diagnosis, development of chronic diseases and co-morbidities as well as rapidly changing technology. These challenges are expected to lead to an increased demand for healthcare over the next two decades thus increasing the demand for healthcare workers especially nurses as they make up the biggest professional group in healthcare. These increasing demands must be acknowledged in a phase of nursing shortages globally. In fact it is well established that there is a direct relationship between optimal staffing levels and patient safety. Evidence shows that patients recuperate faster, have significantly less infections, are more satisfied with their care and indeed have lower mortality rates when staffing levels are satisfactory. This issue also affects nurses themselves. Again it is highlighted that the number of medical errors decline, job satisfaction increases and staff turnover and burnout are reduced when there are sufficient nurse-patient ratios. Through education, nurses are increasingly being empowered to raise these issues locally and nationally demonstrating that lack of attention to these ratios, and substitution with less qualified workers results in increased healthcare spending and legal costs in the long-term.
Nursing has embraced the constant hazard of nursing shortages with a resolute commitment to professionalism. Nurses advocate for individuals and focus not only on the disease/treatment trajectory, but also take a holistic view on health, helping and supporting individuals with other aspects of life. Nurses, therefore, form an essential part of the health system. Nurses are empowered to do this because nursing curricula are underpinned by both art and science. The nursing profession has the power to make a huge difference in today’s healthcare system and is rooted in its ability to serve all people with their acquired skills.
Nursing in India evolved substantially under British rule and since 1920 nurse training has been standardized and now is regulated by the Indian Nursing Council which was set up in 1950. The nursing profession is seen as an important part of both primary and secondary healthcare in India. Nurses currently account for 38 per cent of the total healthcare workforce in India. However there is a large urban rural divide with a 3:1 ratio of nursing working in urban to rural areas.
Globally, nursing represents a major workforce in the employment market and the international economy. As global mobility develops, the flow of nurses between countries also increases in tandem with this development. Nursing is considered a mobile profession as nurses continue to migrate to practice their profession and seek out new opportunities. There are many reasons why a nurse may migrate. The decision may be influenced by the opportunity to earn better pay and have better working conditions, career mobility, professional development, a better quality of life, personal safety, or sometimes just novelty and a sense of fun. Current projections disclose a declining number of nursing personnel and forecast a worldwide shortage of up to one million nurses by 2020. Because of shortages, there are great opportunities for Indian nurses to work and study abroad. In fact, India is one of the major countries providing nurses to the developed nations. Indian nurses working abroad can expect to have excellent work and pay conditions, as well as great educational and career opportunities.
Nursing is a career that makes a difference to people’s lives because nursing work involves caring, kindness, and compassion. Following initial education at bachelor degree level, qualified nurses can develop their careers in a specialist area such as intensive care nursing, emergency and trauma nursing, cancer nursing, children’s nursing, older adult nursing to name but a few. The diversity in nursing makes it one of the most exciting careers for young people to consider. Indeed, young people from India entering the profession of nursing can expect an exciting and bright future with lots of opportunities to advance their careers, and to travel and see the world.
(The authors Eileen Savage, Head of School & Carol Condon, College Lecturer, School of Nursing & Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland)