Nursing Profession A Rewarding and Challenging Career Choice in India An Assessment

Abstract : Nurses form the backbone of any medical services or patient care in the health sector. The nurses are paid a reasonably high salary in most countries all over the world. This is because of the lack of adequate number of qualified nurses. The demand for nurses in developed countries is very high because of the high level of healthcare provided there. But in India, this important section of workers are highly exploited, with lack of respect and dignity at workplaces and more importantly paid extremely low salaries. Motivation, morale and retention of nurses have emerged as issues of significant concern for healthcare providers and policymakers in recent time. Day-to-day nursing tasks are physically and emotionally demanding and depend not so much on standardized rules but on situational requirements. This paper discusses on nursing education, career opportunities for nursing, lucrative income of nurses and the challenges faced by nurses in their profession. The study noted that there is a dire need for nursing transformation at the national and state levels in both the government and private sectors. New opportunities for nurses to participate in shaping the future health care delivery system should be provided.