SINGAPORE : More Singaporeans are taking up nursing as a
career.
To meet the overwhelming demand, a second polytechnic, Ngee Ann,
will start offering the Nursing Diploma course next week.
Last year, Nanyang Polytechnic took in 752 local nursing students,
more than double the number in 2000.
The Health Ministry has since increased the capacity at Nanyang to
800 and is offering 170 places in Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
But this is still not enough to meet demand and a few hundred
qualified applicants may be turned away.
The Health Ministry hopes to train 1,000 every year.
"We see an increasing trend in the young being interested in
nursing. There are several reasons. One could be due to the SARS
crisis. During that period, the nursing profession was highlighted
all over the media. Because young people are always looking for new
challenges, for areas where they can push limits and where they can
really do something meaningful. And nursing offers such a platform.
It is also an international passport because the Singapore brand of
nursing is recognised anywhere in the world," said Tan Wee King,
President of the Singapore Nurses Association.
The strong revival of interest in nursing is a dramatic 'change of
fortune' that has surprised the Health Minister Khaw Boon
Wan.
Mr Khaw said: "My personal view is, there is no such thing as
overtraining of nurses. Even if you don't practise as a nurse, the
nursing skills are of value to yourself and to your family. You
know how to do CPR and you know how to look up for clinical signs.
All these are useful experience."
And it's not just the young who are attracted to nursing.
This year, there are 426 people making a mid-career switch to
nursing. This is three times the number since a programme was
launched two years ago to train those interested in joining the
nursing profession.
Worldwide, the shortage of nurses is growing more acute.
Experts estimate that by 2020, the US would be short of 800,000
nurses.
In Singapore, about 20% of the nurses are foreigners.
Presently, 13% of Singapore nurses have a nursing degree, all from
overseas universities.
The Health Ministry hopes to increase the number nursing graduates
to 20%.
The National University of Singapore is starting its local nursing
degree next year with an intake of 50 students.
The first batch of Advanced Practice Nurses will also be completing
their internship soon.
"I see a role for nurses to play. For example, our Advanced
Practice Nurses (APN) running follow-up clinics in the primary
healthcare setting, and charging fees for the services. Patients
with stable chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension can
be effectively managed by APNs. They can monitor the blood sugar
and blood pressure level, discuss dietary restrictions and advise
on exercise regimes. They can also make adjustments to medications
if necessary. International studies have shown that APNs can
promote better patient compliance with treatment," said Health
Minister Khaw.
- CNA /ls
