Himachali nurses an epitome of humility

I was invited to, what they call in common lingua, Freshers’ Day at Shivalik Institute of Nursing, Sanjauli. Khushi Ram Thakur, chairman of the society that runs the institute, told me that it started a school for arts and crafts teachers, physical training instructors, etc. in 2004 but got converted it into a nursing college in 2009. 

He also told me that a large piece of land had been acquired by the society not far from the present institute where the work of constructing a new building had already started and once it got ready, MSc Nursing would also be started. Shama Lohumi, principal of the college, says that the present intake for the BSc Nursing course is 60 and that of Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery is 40. The students get quality education here with adequate practical experience. The institute is tagged with Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, for providing practical training to the budding nurses. 

Florence Nightingale is synonym for a nurse. She lived for 90 years from 1820 to 1910 and was an English social reformer and founder of modern nursing.  Her role of tending to the injured soldiers during the Crimean War (1853 to 1856) gave her and the profession of nursing a highly favourable reputation. She earned the title ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ when she made rounds at night to attend to the wounded soldiers. 

HW Longfellow had written a poem on her, “Lo! In that house of misery/ A lady with the lamp I see/ Pass through the glimmering gloom, /And flit from room to room.” This is what we expect from the nurses.

We expect that nurses coming out of more than 12 nursing institutions in Himachal Pradesh earn the soubriquet Florence Nightingale. This is possible because the girls here have that natural Himachal humility. It means that the nurses do not carry the image of an angel only but they also pass out as competent professionals with knowledge and caring attitude. 

It was heartening to learn that 100 per cent students of this institute gets placement after completing the studies because of the professionalism that is taught to them here. The principal was proud of her students and said they were working in top private hospitals of the country - Medanta, Fortis, Max, Apollo, etc. Even government hospitals have their doors open for these students. 

Though both doctors and nurses are important to the medical industry, it cannot be denied that there is always a nurse behind making a person a great doctor. The doctors are the eyes and brain of the hospital but nurses are the limbs. 

The nurses always enjoy a closer relationship with the patient as compared to doctors since they have more direct contact with them. A patient may not remember the name of nurse after getting released from the hospital but he always remembers her behaviour. And Himachali nurses with their considerate and thoughtful behaviour are replacing the nurses from Kerala, who had a majority in the hospitals to date because the facilities for training nurses were non-existent in Himachal Pradesh. The picture has changed today. After my retirement from the active service, I had the chance of serving a private hospital as its administrator for four years. During that period I discovered a quality of nurses from Himachal Pradesh - their quality of willingly coming forward to serve and so reflecting their attitude of ‘Try Me’ instead of ‘Why Me?’ And this sells in the medical bazaar today which has opened avenues in the private hospitals for our nurses.

The students of Shivalik Nursing Institute also presented a cultural programme. To a full house gathering (See photo) there was a blend of pahari, hip-hop, Punjabi and classical dance and songs. But my vote goes to the Kathak dance presented by Shalini (See photo). Among the fresh entrants to the institute Anamika was chosen as Miss Fresher by the judges. She actually belonged to Shimla but had her studies in Delhi before joining this institute. It was not a contest of ‘beauty’ alone but was a contest of ‘beauty with brain’.

TAILPIECE

What is the difference between a nurse and a nun?

Nun serves only one God.

— The writer is a retired bureaucrat