Internship made part of nursing course

Updated on: Tuesday, June 08, 2010

While medical education for doctors has been diversifying at a rapid pace, nursing education has stagnated for want of variety in syllabus and training programmes. Trained nurses have pointed out the lack of training which has had an impact on the way patients are cared for in government and private hospitals.

The Central government has stepped in to tackle this lacuna in the medical profession by granting funds. With a fund of Rs. 1 crore being granted by the Central government, Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Medical Education has set up a cell to supervise the syllabus and training and inspect the nursing colleges and schools.

The DME and the Directorate of Medical Services, which is responsible for the monitoring of the district and taluka hospitals, along with the Nursing Council, will develop and monitor the conduct of nursing courses in private and government colleges.

The Nursing Council will, however, continue to monitor the registration process of nurses.

Though opportunities abound for the nursing students in government hospitals, want of attention to the education and training of nurses has been felt. “Improvement has been lacking in nursing education. The new measures will mean improved nursing care in hospitals,” said S. Vinayagam, Director of Medical Education. As a first measure, the DME has stipulated that nursing students should do a six-month internship before they qualify as professionals. For the students of government-run nursing colleges, the move will mean they will have to update their knowledge. They will receive full-fledged speciality training but they will also have to compete with nursing students from private nursing colleges.

Internship made part of nursing course

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