Karnataka: Low paid nurses opting for career shift, new courses
There are many nurses who are taking up additional courses like the National Council Licensure Examination to raise their salaries.
BENGALURU: Out of the sixty students admitted every year in the Institute of Health Management Research, which provides courses in hospital and health management education in the city, around 15 students on an average come from nursing background.
Twenty-four-year-old Balaji, who has completed his BSc in nursing, did not want to pursue MSc, but instead opted for a PGDHM in Hospital Management. “There is not much opportunity in the clinical side for those with a nursing background, hence I have opted for a management programme so that I could have a more secure future,” said Balaji.
Nursing, a profession that requires clinical ‘sense and sensibility’, has been battling for a long time with issues of better pay and welfare benefits. This is either pushing many to call it quits or opt for other executive courses in healthcare sector.
“There are many nurses who are taking up additional courses like the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN exam), Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification Course, ACLS courses and then many opt for a diploma in family medicine or emergency medicines to give their CVs ‘weight’, to raise their salaries,” said Suresh Babu GO, working president of Karnataka Nurses Forum, which has some ten thousand members across the State.
“Nurses get one-tenth of the salary of doctors at many private hospitals and only recently are we seeing some increase but that is not sufficient for them. There are a plenty of reasons for it. Primarily, there is an irregular nursing education and a majority of the nursing institutes are not even qualified to grant certificates by the Nursing Council of India. The Government and Universities need to come up with a better system. And the Indian Nursing Council Act needs to be made mandatory for all nursing colleges,” Suresh said.
He pointed out that work timings that stretch to twelve hours, lack of maternity benefits and guarantees in cases of health hazards while working, also push many to either take up jobs in the Gulf countries or go for other courses.
“After four years of studying nursing it becomes de-motivating for them not to get a good pay with benefits. Irregular working hours are added ‘triggers’ that make them look for better opportunities abroad or take up courses which would get them better pay and perks,” says Dr Biranchi Jena, Director of IIHMR, Bangalore Institute of Health Management Research.