Nursing

Job overview
Registered nurses are practitioners in their own right, able to provide everything from basic to the most specialised health care and work as members of multi-professional teams caring for people's health.

What do people do in this job?
Nurses assist injured and weak people towards health and help to relieve them of pain and discomfort.

Nursing includes curative, preventive and rehabilitative health care for individuals, families and communities.

Nurses' activities can include giving health guidance and counselling to patients

Some duties are performed by all nurses, particularly during training, but there are variations in responsibility and work.

After training there are two main categories of nurse viz. ?state registered or professional nurses and enrolled nursing auxiliaries.

State registered nurses?
Both degree and diploma students qualify as registered nurses.

Once they have completed their training, they are referred to as sisters.

They are responsible for the supervision of student nurses and nursing auxiliaries, and may also be involved in their training.

Their duties include running a department or ward, keeping records on treatment and progress, advising doctors about patients?' ?conditions, receiving instructions regarding treatment as well as controlling supplies and equipment, materials and medicine.

Enrolled nursing auxiliaries?
Enrolled nursing auxiliaries carry out basic nursing procedures and take care of patients at a less specialised level, under the supervision of registered nurses.

What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
Nurses work with human lives and therefore the fundamental requirement of this profession is a well-developed sense of moral responsibility.

Nursing requires reliability, thoroughness, self-discipline, adaptability and a willingness to serve others.

It calls for kindness, consideration, tactfulness and acceptance of others.

In addition it requires physical fitness and stamina.

What qualifications are needed?
A diploma or a degree in nursing is required from those who wish to become state registered nurses.