“When I think about all the patients and their loved ones that I have worked with over the years, I know most of them doesn’t remember me nor I them but I do know that I gave a little piece of myself to each of them gave a little piece of myself to each of them and they to me and those threads make up the beautiful tapestry in mind that is career in NURSING.”
COVID-19 has brought devastation to the human kind, but being open minded and unprejudiced, nursing profession gets rate and praise during this pandemic. Nurses are working as frontline and heroes, thus are forefront of peoples mind, the media attention and the public gratitude towards health care professionals as being captured on a daily basis.
Nursing profession in Jammu and Kashmir is now considering as golden and foremost career in medical field and indeed it is one of the best choice in choosing career after higher secondary degree. Diurnally Government of India is working in strengthening the power and quality of care towards patients and it is possible only by making qualitative nurses. In the meanwhile, union territory of J&K also start toshow panic and concern towards this profession and start recruiting students for various new Nursing colleges and now we will have 1000 nurses annually after 2020. Admission to nursing profession will be now under The Board of Profession Entrance Examination (BOPEE) which is a cornerstone and brace for strengthening of this noble profession.
But loophole to this noble profession started when I saw a notification from BOPEE (Notification No 037-BOPEE of 2020) dated on 10 Oct 2020 that the admission process for Masters in Science (MSc) Nursing course 2020 will be now on the basis of Merit i.e. percentage in BSc Nursing.
Earlier we had only 25 seats for a state, from SKIMS Soura Srinagar but according to this notification we will have 80 seats from 4 different colleges. Since SKIMS was conducting an ENTRANCE test for these seats but infringement and injustice to this profession is when there will be no Entrance Test, though process of admission is under BOPEE whose prime function is to conduct these types of competitive Exams.
Unfortunately till date J&K has not established any functional Nursing Association which may have considered this act and will have raised their voice against this injustice. Our state lacks strategic Nursing representation that we need from time to time and this time very badly. Nursing students of J&K are facing problems repeatedly and this is only due to lack of proper organization that may have looked upon problems and found a solid solution.
WHY TO BE PANIC? The reason to justify my point by saying injustice with this profession are much in number, lets highlight here some:
1. Focus of nation is always to get and produce Qualitative nurses, to procure and nab them it is must to have an Entrance exam for MSc nursing. It helps to judge the students ability, sharpness and knowledge which are the main motive in this modernization world. This allows us to choose only those who are suitable for this course and hence astray those who don’t compete the race.
2. Students of J&K who have or going to complete their bachelor’s degree from the colleges of J&K will not get admission to these colleges because students who completed their degree outside state come with high percentage as compared to valley students.
“Presently I am studying in BSc nursing 4th year and till date I got overall 75% though being among top 3 ranks at university level, I feel if the admission process for MSc doesn’t change it will be only a dream for me to get admission in colleges of J&K” Naziya (name changed) said.
3. If BOPEE can conduct Common Entrance Test for admission of BSc Nursing being number of students in thousands, in comparison to admission of MSc Nursing the number of students is just in hundreds. So to say due to pandemic we can’t do entrance exam for MSc nursing is just a word to laugh.
4. Entrance Examination for MSc Nursing in J&K will help us to find out the knowledge, intellect and understanding of students in the nursing field and hence will help bachelor’s nurses during their ongoing studies.
5. Entrance Examination helps us select only those who are endowed with utmost desire to serve people of J&K in great need of healthcare services.
6. Entrance Exam is necessary for bringing uniformity in this noble profession and standing it. It gives equal opportunity to all the students so that no bias occurs.
7. Entrance Exam helps us to test the knowledge of students based on what we want. It provides transparency in admission process. All the students will get same opportunities to compete for these 80 seats and also help in judging the conceptual approach of the students. Keeping all these things in consider I find it important and necessary to have an Entrance Exam for the admission to MSc nursing. I am sorry to say that unfortunately till date J&K has not established any functional Nursing Association which may have considered this act and will have raised their voice against this injustice. Our state lacks strategic Nursing representation that we need from time to time and this time very badly. Nursing students of J&K are facing problems repeatedly and this is only due to lack of proper organization that may have looked upon problems and found a solid solution. I may conclude here with these words BOPEE should change it’sdecision and maintain the dignity of this noble profession. Also, NURSING students should show concern towards this matter and at least raise voice so that their future should be saved from being spoiled. I know there are those who want to maintain this profession as noble as it is, Let’s help and support them as it is need of us and not anyone’s personal issue.
(The author is a student of Bsc Nursing and is studying in Rajiv Gandhi College of Nursing Jammu. Views are his own) [email protected]
