Welcoming most of the proposals in the draft National Education Policy (NEP), the Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI) has demanded that a single entrance examination be conducted for nursing courses across the country on the lines of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
While the Indian Nursing Council (INC) had prescribed the course, various colleges in the country prescribe different methods of admissions, said Roy K. George, president, TNAI.
This diluted the selection of candidates to the highly specialised course, said Mr. George. Even in Kerala, the selection of nurses to the courses had got diluted over the last 5-6 years as admission was made on the basis of marks scored in Class XII or Plus 2 or equivalent examinations. Earlier, it was through an entrance test, he said.
An all India examination would help clearing the ambiguity in the manner of admitting students to the course, he said.
The proposal in the NEP for having a common course for two years before branching out to different courses of medical, dental and nursing was a welcome step, which would ensure a single entrance test for all healthcare professionals, said Mr. George.
He said lateral entry into the medical and dental courses through an entrance examination after completing two years of nursing was also a welcome proposal that would benefit a number of students.
Similarly, proposal of Exit examination for nurses was an important step in bringing about standardised norms in nursing practices. The proposal said that only those clearing the Exit examination would be able to register as nurses in the respective State councils, making them eligible to work, he said.
This would clear adverse remarks about standards of nursing courses carried out in various States. It would also help nurses get their rightful remuneration, he said.
The TNAI had been demanding abolishing the general nursing courses, that provided only a diploma after three years of study. For anyone to work as a nurse, there should be only a graduate course in BSc Nursing. The INC had already taken steps in stopping the course in general nursing. The last batch to the course would be admitted in 2020. The NEP’s proposal in this regard to make BSc Nursing the single qualification for graduate nurse was a good step, he said.
Mr. George said the proposal of Nurse Practitioner (NP) was a progressive step in the NEP. While countries abroad had an NP in the healthcare system, the Indian system had not supported an independent practicing nurse. An NP is a nurse who would have a power to write prescription in the given qualification. Such a nurse would be able to handle a patient in a hospital setting even in the absence of a senior specialised doctor.
The proposal had been given a thumbs-down in the State because of the availability of large numbers of doctors, according to Mr. George.