One of the important factors which dominate the decision of choosing a career path is the availability of flexible career opportunities. With this regard, the vast field of healthcare has ample of opportunities for those who think they are ready to put society’s needs before themselves. The moment you choose to be a part of the healthcare profession, multiple responsibilities tag along with you. Ensuring optimal care of human life does not come easy for sure, but it does have its own thrill and excitement for those who really want it. Not to forget, the profession of nursing does tag along a baggage of societal responsibility that you must ensure optimal patient care irrespective of the circumstances around. More than anything what matters is if you have your facts straight and if there’s a surety about your choice, then there’s nothing that can block your path. A medical career is considered to be the most rewarding one and it also has its own share of stress, commitment and hard work but knowing your future goals will always help you to focus later. Along with the rewards, nursing as a profession also has a factor of nobility added to it which highlights the need of care, concern and empathy from nurses towards patients. One must confide differences and work in harmony with all the departments treating the patients in consideration. Many healthcare workers choose nursing to be their choice of career because of the multi-fold opportunities which come their way. Being a nurse entitles you to advocate the health conditions of your patients and collaborate with all the working departments to bring out the best possible treatments and services for your patients. Job of nurses does not end when the patients recover and improve their health because assessment, rehabilitation and post treatment diagnosis also constitute to be the important elements of job responsibilities of a nurse. One must keep a track record of all the visits a patient has made to the hospital after getting the treatment done. Following the same, it’s justified to say that a nurse work like a doctor’s right hand. Nursing careers have a high scope of introducing you to global opportunities as healthcare services are such which are highly required in each of the nations. Countries like Africa, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Argentina, Canada and New Zealand are always in a dire need of nursing services because of the increasing population being unwell, old and dependent on medical facilities. Being a nurse can open a gateway of multiple opportunities if you become a registered nurse in your country.

WHO IS RN?

A nurse is said to be a registered nurse (RN) if he/she has completed a nursing diploma or is a graduate in nursing and has passed the NCLEX-RN exam conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). To be a registered nurse, it is important to meet all the eligibility criteria’s and licensing requirements by the respective state’s board of nursing. Many a times, a licensed practical nurse and a registered nurse might sound like they are the same but there are quite a few differences which separate the two. Being a RN calls for primary medication, treatments and educational advice to patients and the public whereas a licensed nurse is more actively involved in the basic nursing care to the patient and their family. RNs are self-regulated health professionals and are accountable to follow the values in the code of ethics of nursing. A complete study of an approved nursing program and successful completion of the RN exam can only make you earn this designation. A registered nurse does not only limit the operations and services towards patient care but also takes up multiple responsibilities including administration, patient & family counseling, research, teaching, policy making, to mention a few.

EDUCATION OPTIONS TO BE RN IN INDIA

Health literacy is slowly improving and with that, it is very important to understand the value of right education programs for nurses. The patients are gaining awareness which makes it all the more important to provide unquestionable healthcare services and in order to be able to treat your patients rightly, it is important to realize the true value of education in the field of nursing. Before proceeding towards the different options of courses, you might want to look at the link below which highlights the importance of education in the field of nursing. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSax9It4Mcs There are plenty of education options available if you want to be a registered nurse in India, however, the below mentioned are the widely considered ones. Complete bachelors of Science in nursing (BSN) and be a registered nurse. Doing so, can make you eligible to take up a responsible job with supervisory roles and higher salaries. This educational program typically takes 4 years of time where you attend practical sessions and also go through classroom learning sessions to know the details of practicing nursing. You can also choose to study short term certificate and graduate diploma courses in nursing which have a duration of 2-3 years. The most popular ones include Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANM) and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM). Just like every country has a governing body to advocate and observe the nursing educational programs, similarly the nursing programs in India are all in accordance with the Indian Nursing Council, State Nursing Council and Nursing Examination Board. “Why do we need to register?”, “What happens if we don’t register as a nurse?” are a few of the widely heard concerns among nursing students. Well, being a registered nurse in India is highly important because without doing the needful, a nursing student won’t be certified as a nurse to work in a professional capacity with hospitals and healthcare institutes.

CAREER OPTIONS FOR REGISTERED NURSES

Being a RN in India marks the beginning of your career as a nurse. Over the past few years, this profession has gone through rigorous stages of development in terms of payrolls and working conditions. The statistical data states that until May’17, India was short of 1.94 million nurses which unarguably is an alarming figure. It is stated by the World Health Organization that “the country ranks at a dismal 112 in ranking of health systems globally”. Once you start working as a nurse, it’s important to put in action the theoretical knowledge gained during your program. Every profession, medical or non-medical stands firm on the learning power vested in practical experiences. The more cases you work on, the better you learn. Also, time and again one can be reminded that no profession comes with a guide book. Each one of us will have our own set of experiences, and based upon that would be the achievements and learnings. Being a nurse comes with a guarantee that one cannot remain unemployed unless it’s by choice. The ever increasing global need for healthcare services has always made sure that there are ample of opportunities around nurses. One can easily get jobs in private and public sector in India. Along with this, Indian Nursing Council, various state nursing councils and education institutes make up to be one of the employers in this field. Apart from delivering services as a nurse in hospital, you can also grab an opportunity in nursing schools, medical colleges and teaching centers, depending upon your experience.

INTERNATIONAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR INDIAN REGISTERED NURSES

Once you have explored all the possible domestic opportunities, you can also make up your mind to be an international nurse. International exposure in the field of nursing can make you familiar with the healthcare techniques used worldwide and also hint at how things are different on the global front. Countries like Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the United States of America are highly well-paying and nurses can also enjoy their freedom to exercise authority when it comes to patient care. Talking specifically about Indian nurses moving abroad, it doesn’t really come as a surprise since the country has emerged to be the largest nurse provider to multiple foreign countries, over quite a few years now. However, it is important to fulfil the required immigration criteria which usually varies from country to country. Say, if you plan to explore nursing opportunities in Canada then there are a few prerequisites which you must fulfil before being a part of the country. Internationally educated nurses can find a pathway in Canada as there is a high demand for healthcare services in the country. To know further details about the same, you might want to have a look at the video mentioned below which explains in detail about the procedure of moving to Canada. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ21WfvBaSQ Similarly, if you move to New Zealand, the process can be a little less time consuming. So with every country, there are different set of rules which one must confirm to. It is important to register with the council of the respective country where you want to work. Some councils also demand a written examination clearance after which you can be a registered nurse in that country. Opportunities for international nurses can never fall short because of the simple fact that every second nation is banking upon healthcare services these days as the population of old and unwell people is increasing with which has a positive effect on the demand for nurses abroad.

PAY SCALE AND ALLOWANCES

Depending upon the different levels of education and licensure, hospitals and healthcare settings follow a set pattern of hierarchy to define the role of nurses. Along with the job commitments, pay scales for each of the nurses may also vary. In India, a nurse’s first job can place them in a pay scale of INR 7000 – INR 17,000, depending upon the specialty, qualification and working hours. Moving on, a mid-level experienced nurse can earn between INR 18,000 – INR 37,000 and a highly experienced nurse with more than 10 years spent in the profession can earn upto INR 72,000 per month. The fact remains unchanged that nurses in other developed countries are highly well-paid for their efforts and services, compared to that in India. Taking a dig at it from a comparative point of view, one can observe that nurses in Canada are earning substantially well and one of the prime reasons is that they earn on hourly basis unlike in India. However, the work stress, multitasking degrees and problems with time management are almost the same wherever you go because it’s something not associated with the countries but with the profession itself and that’s what makes it exclusive, thrilling and challenging.

MAKE A CHOICE

After discussing broadly about the scope and future of being registered nurse in India, it’s important to consider all the influencing factors and make the right call for your future career prospects. Healthcare being a detailed ecosystem in itself can never assure complete provision of information for anyone of us, however, knowing the maximum about it can always help. From graduate certificates to doctorate, you can choose to attain multiple educational laurels but don’t forget to keep your field experience intact. You can work in multiple disciples of nursing and observe what each one has to add to your platter of knowledge. By doing so, you can increase your credibility and add extra feathers to the cap of specialties. Being in the field of healthcare you might at times face recognition issues followed with emotional shifts but if the end goal is crystal, you might just want to cross any hurdles blocking your path. It is also critical to realize the importance of formulating ideal patient-centric plans of care and invest the amount of effort and research required to do so. Responsibilities vested in a nurse are endless which is why it is notable to study each and every prospect of the field of healthcare before deciding to move ahead. Now is the time to analyze the information in hand, and make the right choice.