Medicine/Allied courses
Caring and serving
Apart from physicians and surgeons, the battle against diseases and sickness also requires the services of valiant soldiers of the 'allied forces' to restore the rule of health. Nursing, physiotherapy and dietetics are some of the options that you can explore if you want to opt for a profession related to the medical field.
Gauri Chhabra

Nursing is an ideal profession for those who are compassionate, have a strong will power and spirit to serve the diseased and the weak. The profession involves long and strenuous working hours.

Other traits required for this occupation include the ability to manage different situations and the willingness to adapt to new technologies.

Licensed vocational nurses tend to the needs of sick, injured, convalescent, and disabled people.

Vocational nursing is a crucial part of the medical profession that requires extensive education and on-job experience. Vocational nurses often work under the supervision of medical doctors and registered nurses.

Tasks include bedside attendance, analysing and recording a patient’s vital information, dressing wounds, administering medications, and assisting with basic needs such as bathing and walking, record keeping and recording, collecting samples, perform certain simple tests, monitor food and fluid consumption, and assist doctors with various procedures and gathering patient data.

Nursing homecare, clinical care, and home-health services are a few of the areas that require specialised nurses.

Nursing is not just taking care of the sick. Other opportunities for qualified nurses include teaching, administration and research jobs. An interesting aspect of this profession is that a vast majority of nurses are women. However, of late, men are also showing interest in the profession. Vocational nurses must have at least one year of vocational education, followed by licensing.

As the current nurse-patient ratio in our country is very low, it is estimated that there would be a demand for around six lakh nurses in the near future. The demand for skilled, qualified nurses is there throughout the world, and qualified nurses get good opportunities to work abroad.

In India, too, with the government is planning to widen the health services’ network, there will be ample opportunites and avenues for nurses. Nowadays, even corporates are entering this sector, further making this profession an exciting career option.

Employment opportunities in this profession are available in government and private hospitals, the armed forces, nursing homes, sanatoriums, clinics, crèches, schools, offices, factories, orphanages, old-age homes and NGOs working on health issues etc.

PERFECT COURSE

Nursing courses are offered at various levels — diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate. The basic eligibility for a BSc nursing course and General Nursing & Midwifery (GNM) is plus two.

BSc (Nursing)

This is a beginner’s course in nursing where basic knowledge is provided like nursing, first-aid treatment, midwifery etc.

Students can also go in for BSc Nursing (post basic) programme, and select either a two-year regular or a three-year distance learning option. The basic qualification for the regular programme is plus two and GNM whereas for the distance learning programme it is plus two + GNM, along with two years of work experience. The post-basic course is considered as an advanced qualification.

Diploma in Nursing

Along with picking up the basics of nursing, students can go for a particular specialisation by choosing any post-basic specialty (one-year diploma) courses on offer. Specialisations can be in cardiology, psychiatry, neo-natal nursing, neuro-nursing etc.

General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM)

This course helps in preparing general nurses to hold first-level positions in hospitals and other such places. It is generally a three-and-a-half-year diploma course.

Auxiliary nurse midwife and health workers (ANMHW)

In this nurses are trained on how to take care of health-related needs of the people living in the rural areas especially children, mothers nd old persons.

Healthy way to life
Nutrition & Dietetics
Gauri Bawa

Nutrition and Dietetics — a new and fast-growing profession — is all about food and its effects on a person’s health. The increasing awareness among a larger section of society about the ill effects of lifestyle-related medical problems has increased the importance of this field over the past few years.

As a profession it offers a vast range of opportunities, particularly in metros and big cities where, people are very conscious about their diet and nutrition. Dieticians are in great demand as surveys have shown that every third person in big cities seeks diet-related advice on a regular basis. The print media and TV channels have played a major role in spreading this awareness in smaller cities also all over the country.

In hospitals, clinical nutrition is a developing field and all big hospitals are vying with each other to hire professional and experienced dieticians and nutritionists.

As the quality of life depends on the quality of food that we eat, dieticians promote balanced eating habits through research, as well as by helping in the selection and preparation of food. They decide the diet that has to be given to patients in a hospital, to sportspersons in training camps and to those wanting to court longevity by staying fit and disease free. Dieticians achieve this goal by helping in the selection and preparation of food services for many different institutions and groups. They carry out research on food that helps to understand the various components of the food stuff that we eat. And also help in balancing the requirement of various important components found in food as per the requirements of an individual depending on one's age, disease or work routine, to prevent diseases and to promote good health through proper diet programmes. Some of them specialise in areas such as obesity, diabetes, renal diseases, heart-related ailments and form an important part of the health team.

Wide berth

One can find opportunities in medical colleges and hospitals, gyms, big canteens, nursing-care facilities, teaching in colleges and universities, catering departments of star hotels, research labs of food manufacturers, in health departments of government etc. One can also set up private practice. There is also a huge demand for professional and qualified nutritionists abroad. Food product manufacturers also use the services of nutritionists or dieticians to plan and research new products. Mass media is another upcoming field where top priority is given to healthy living and diet through various shows.

Platter full of courses

The number of students in this field has increased immensely in the past decade and so has the number of colleges in this field in north India. Students with PCB (physics, chemistry and biology) combination in Plus II can seek admission to a bachelor’s course in nutrition and dietetics or clinical nutrition. The three-year BSc Home Science course also covers subjects, including food and nutrition. Several universities and colleges offer BSc and MSc courses in home science. At the post-graduation level, dietetics and nutrition course could be either two-year master's programme or a one-year post-graduate diploma (Diploma in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition (DDPHN).

The National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad is a premier institute under the Indian Council of Medical Research, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that offers regular nutrition training courses every year.

The College of Home Science, Chandigarh offers BSc in dietetics and is among the top colleges in in the region. Courses are also available at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; Faculty of Home Science, Palampur to name a few reputed institutions in the region.

— Gauri Bawa is Chief Dietician, Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, Jalandhar

Touch and grow
Changing mindsets and an increasing demand for professionals have made physiotherapy a hot option.
physiotherapy

with its roots in ancient Greece, physiotherapy has evolved from simple massage to a complex assortment of therapies having multiple and specialised applications. Physical therapy or physiotherapy, often abbreviated as PT, is a healthcare profession primarily concerned with the remediation of impairments and disabilities. It also involves the promotion of mobility, functional ability, improving the quality of life and movement potential through examination, evaluation, diagnosis and physical intervention. All these are carried out by physical therapists and physical therapist assistants (also known as physical rehabilitation therapists). In addition to clinical practice, other activities encompassed in the physical therapy profession include research, education, consultation and administration.

The mindset that physiotherapy is not as attractive and lucrative as an MBBS /BDS course, software engineering or law, is changing fast as the demand for professionals in this allied health professional service is increasing rapidly.

A physiotherapy course comprises a broad study in the biological, surgical, physical and medical functioning of the human body. There are many fields in physiotherapy like cardio-pulmonary, geriatrics, neurology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, integumentary and women’s health etc. The duration of the course is up to four years, in addition to a six-month internship.

Clearing the Common Entrance Test (CET) is the first step to getting into the field of physiotherapy. Apart from this test, the basic qualification required for the admission into the Bachelor of Physiotherapy course (BPC) is a pass in Class XII or equivalent with PCB and English. A minimum of 50 per cent marks should be scored in all of these subjects.

PTs practice in many settings, such as out-patient clinics or offices, health and wellness clinics, in-patient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, extended care facilities, private homes, education and research centres, schools, hospices, industrial and workplaces or other occupational environments, fitness centres and sports-training facilities.

Physical therapists also practice in non-patient care roles such as health policy, health insurance, and health care administration and as health care executives. Physical therapists are also involved in the medical-legal field serving as experts, performing peer review and independent medical examinations.

Physiotherapy courses are offered by several universities and private institutes in the region. The College of Physiotherapy, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research, Chandigarh, Department of Physiotherapy, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and Punjabi University, Patiala; Adesh College of Physiotherapy, Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences, Muktsar; All Saints College of Physiotherapy, Ludhiana; Lyallpur Khalsa College of Physiotherapy, Jalandhar are some of the main institutes in the region.

— Gauri Chhabra