The Kerala High Court has upheld a government order doing away with the internship for nursing students.
The court passed the verdict while dismissing a writ petition filed by the Kerala Private Hospitals’ Association challenging the government order. According to the association, the nurses who come out of nursing colleges without any practical experience would have to be directly employed as regular nurses because of the government order.
The government contended that nursing curriculum ensured preparation of nurses to assume responsibilities as professional, competent nurses and midwives in providing promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services. That apart, the students underwent supervised practice in the hospital.
In fact, the Kerala Nurses and Midwives’ Council was very particular that the parent institutions should provide the students with adequate pre-clinical laboratory practice and clinical experience as per the syllabus. If adequate laboratory practice and clinical experience were provided by the parent institution, the question of inexperience of fresh registered nurses and registered midwives did not arise
The court pointed out that the Kerala Nurses and Midwives Act and Rules did not insist on any internship after completion of the course by a nursing student. Therefore, the action of the State government in giving up the condition of internship for the nursing students was in accordance with law.