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| CAREER GUIDE | Friday, July 25, 2003, Chandigarh, India |
Playing the Nightingale Professional courses in demand |
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Playing the Nightingale
LOOKED down upon as a profession, it was only four girls who enrolled for the nursing course at the PGI in 1973, against a total of 50 seats. Three decades down the lane, people are willing to pay capitation fee to get admission to private nursing colleges, mushrooming all over the country. “Even though the scenario has undergone a sea change since those early days when nursing was considered a lowly profession, yet the fact remains that the kind of respect, money and better career prospects foreign shores offer for nurses, is virtually lacking in India,” opines Dr Indrajit Walia, Principal, National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE) at the PGI. With greener pastures of foreign shores beckoning Indian nurses, who are rated very high internationally, there are ample job opportunities opening up for trained nurses. “The demand for Indian nurses in the USA, Canada and West Asia is so high that I am preparing transcript of almost 100 passouts of our institute every month,” points out Dr Walia. The field is now wide open for nurses, who are being offered attractive jobs by pharmaceutical industry and private hospitals. There are nurses who have bagged good managerial positions in drugs and pharmaceutical companies, which need their services for trying out various drugs and other preparations. A very attractive and challenging opening for the nurses can be a career in the Army, as 13 passouts from the 2001 batch from the PGI have been selected. “After interacting with our seniors who have joined the Army, I am keen to follow them as nurses are given a lot of respect and the work environment is very satisfying, with quality services being provided to patients,” says Sangeeta, who is still pursuing her studies in nursing. A new concept, very popular abroad, is that of training independent nurse practitioners. The concept, currently being run as a pilot project in Kolkata by the Indian Nursing Council, will later be extended to other parts of the country. This will enable nurses to have their independent private practice like doctors. The Post Basic B.Sc Nursing course was started at the PGI in 1964, with complete WHO funding. There were just four seats, while all teachers were foreigners, sent by the WHO. Nursing profession still being in its infancy at that time, it was much later in 1968 that the Nursing College at the PGI, had Dr M. Dean as its first Indian Principal. A majority of the pass outs from NINE, recognised as one of the premier nursing institutes in the country, are being picked up by private agencies recruiting nurses for hospitals abroad. “The passouts from this institute are rated very high and they have no difficulty in clearing exams to be eligible for jobs in the USA and West Asia,” said a representative of the agency picking up nurses for jobs abroad. The nurses wanting to go to the USA, need to clear the Commissioned Graduates for Foreign Nursing Students (CGFNS) test before they can be allowed to seek a job there. Apart from this, only registered nurses (RN) are preferred for foreign countries. With excellent career progression avenues for nurses there are some Indian nurses, who are holding very senior positions abroad. The only regret that the teachers and staff at NINE have is that almost 90 per cent of their passouts are going abroad. “Had there been better career prospects and promotion avenues at the PGI, many nurses would have wanted to serve the sick and ailing, who need their services,” says another teacher. |
Professional courses in demand AMRITSAR: A steady decline is being witnessed in courses which were popular earlier as the trend shifts towards job-oriented, professional and specialised courses, which are mesmerising the youth in comparison to courses that offer little in terms of career or financial benefits. Languages are bearing the brunt of this shift. The inclination can be gauged from the fact that only 22 students were admitted for courses in Urdu, Persian and Arabic against an aggregate 162 seats in various certificate, diploma and Master’s courses in these subjects at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Other languages are faring no better. Professional courses like MBA, MCA, law, architecture and physiotherapy are getting an overwhelming response. With sports having become a hot choice, degrees in physical education are in great demand. A great rush is being seen among NRI applicants, who pay more than double the amount to attain a professional or specialised degree. However, the amount is nearly one-twentieth the sum they pay in foreign universities. Even distance education programme, pitched at 30 per cent less than regular courses, are catching on with the time-constrained youth of today. Many university departments are running less popular language courses out of compulsion. Merely nine students applied for Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit for its aggregate 66 seats in
Master’s, certificate and diploma courses. Sources said the admission of nine students was a positive signal compared to previous years. While English and French boasts of hundreds of applicants, the global trend towards French has propelled the department to increase its seats in comparison to other languages like German, Russian and Japanese offered by the university. However, barring economics, mathematics, English and Punjabi, the response was far from satisfactory in other courses such as political science, sociology, psychology and philosophy. Interestingly, women are excelling in almost all courses, including professional and specialised. The male-female ratio continues to drop. Only 35 per cent students comprise boys. Specialised fields like computers zoology, microbiology, food sciences, sugar technology, electronics, pharmacy, and environmental sciences are giving a big boost to the career-oriented youth. As research fields, these are a great draw among students aiming at greener pastures in developed countries. Among rural women, skill-development training courses are a big attraction. Courses like dress designing, cutting and tailoring and textile designing are popular. Electronics and computers are finding significant takers among rural boys. Recognising the potential of professional and specialised
courses, the university started integrated five-year courses in MBA, MCA, law, M. Tech (IT). However, Bachelor’s degree courses in its affiliated colleges in the same subjects consequently suffered a setback. Recent additions like BA LLB (Hons) on the pattern of the National Law School, Bangalore, endeavors to impart socially and practically relevant instructions in the form of ‘mock’ courts. The latest entrant is the Bachelor in Social Sciences (hons). This course is aimed at preparing students for different competitive
examinations. Course curriculum covers all subjects. |
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QUERY HOTLINE Some of my friends are opting for home science. Does it have any relevance today? Prashant Both a science as well as an art, and combining theoretical knowledge with extensive fieldwork, Home Science is an interdisciplinary field that gears students for employment as well as entrepreneurship. Contrary to belief, it is an interesting subject that has numerous applications outside the home as well. It’s high time they modified the name of the course, though. The "home science" tag creates unnecessary misconceptions about it being a "soft" option to train girls for being good homemakers. To prepare for the four basic areas of home science (food & nutrition, clothing & textile, human development and family resource management), you’ll study varied subjects spanning across biological and physical sciences i.e. chemistry, biochemistry, physics, anatomy & physiology, bacteriology, microbiology, health & hygiene, economics, sociology, psychology and perhaps a few more. However, each of these subjects is taught only to the extent necessary to provide a grounding in the four major areas. The varied nature of study at the Bachelor’s level will give you a very broad base of information and knowledge will not only help you tackle the further specialisations in this field, or any other area of study at the PG level. First job I am doing my final year of MCA. I want to know how important is the first job as far as one’s career is concerned. Will it matter if I get into a relatively unknown company? Parminder Singh The first job is important in one’s career for several reasons: Just as childhood is considered as a "formative period" in one’s life, the first job also "forms" and "moulds" you in many significant ways - in what you learn about how companies work, about application of technical skills and development of "soft" skills, about handling real-life pressures, about dealing with your boss and your juniors, if any. What you learn on the first job often becomes the operating benchmark for your working life. At the job-switch level, too, it has an important bearing. Let us say A’s first job is with Microsoft and B’s with Corner Software Company, and both apply for a new job. On the resume, Microsoft will carry far greater weight than would Corner Software, even though B may actually be a more appropriate and qualified candidate for the job. It’s like everything else in life: for instance, wouldn’t you prefer Surf to a lesser-known detergent, if you had the choice? Environmental studies I am a journalist interested in doing a course in environment or wildlife, though I do not have any degree in science. Is there any institute offering such courses? Vikas Bhalla Although it helps to have a master’s in environmental science and related areas for better job opportunities, a number of short and long-term courses are available for those like you who have a genuine interest in protecting and conserving our environment. IGNOU offers a Certificate course in Environmental Studies which you may find interesting. Admission is round the year and covers topics such as Human Environment, Ecology Environment & Tourism and a project in Environmental Studies. The Indian Institute of Ecology & Environment, A-15, Paryavaran Complex, Saket, Maidan Garhi Marg, New Delhi 110030, offers PG Diploma and a Master’s degree in Environment & Ecology through correspondence. Graduates from any discipline are eligible. The degree is awarded by Sikkim Manipal University. In the non-formal sector, you could look at the following: Centre for Environmental Education, Nehru Foundation for Development, Ahmedabad, (E-mail: cee@ad1.vsnl.net.in), an autonomous NGO, CEE offers a variety of courses and modules on environmental education i.e., Training Programme in Environment Education (TEE), Teach & Learn Environmental Modules (TALEEM) etc. In Chennai, the CRP Centre for Environment Education offers similar modules. The World Wildlife Fund - India is also involved in several non-formal projects i e Education Outreach Programme and the India-Canada Environment Facility Scheme, currently implemented in seven Indian states. It offers a Diploma in Environmental Law at WWF Centre for Environmental Law. It is a 5-mth part-time course (3.30-5.30 pm) . The Salim Ali School of Ecology & Environment, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry 605014, offers MS as well as PhD in Ecology for which the only criterion is a genuine interest in ecology. Yet another institution of repute is the Wildlife Institute, PO Box 18, Chandrabani, Dehra Dun 248001(Utt), E-mail: wii@wii.gov.in.s TERI School of Advanced Studies, Darbari Seth Block, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 11003 (www.terischool.ac.in). Now a deemed university, the school plans to offer PG-level courses in Natural Resource Management etc. Courses offered by private institutes are loosely structured and non-accredited but contribute towards promoting environment consciousness. IAS Could you please suggest names of any institutions that offer free coaching for IAS exams for SC/ST students. Gurmeet Kaur A number of institutions offer free coaching for weaker sections including SC, ST, OBC and Minorities, to prepare them for IAS, IPS and other All-India Services. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar National Institute of Social Sciences, Dongargaon, AB Road, Mhow (MP). Candidates are selected on the basis of an entrance exam. A stipend of Rs 600/- is offered to each selected candidate. Limited seats are available in the Hostel for Girls and Boys. Coaching is offered in the following subjects: Hindi, English, Indian history, sociology, geography, political sc, public admn and general studies. Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hills, Shimla has a Pre-Exam Coaching Centre for SC/ST) for IAS/HAS and NET/SET. Application deadline is end of August. — Pervin Malhotra, Director, CARING Please send in your
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