Compassion and Caring: getting into the nursing profession could be your best career choice!
‘The Lady With the Lamp’ illuminated a path towards the quality of healthcare by finetuning the nursing care service to a profession in the mid-19th century. The fundamental philosophy played by this British nurse, the social reformer, and the statistician not only reduced the mortality rate of soldiers during the Crimean War but also saved numerous lives to date.
The lady With the Lamp
Florence Nightingale, the founder of the modern nursing profession, laid the foundation of the first nursing school at St Thomas Hospital, London, in 1860. She has formalized nursing education, and the nursing school at St Thomas Hospital has considered the very first scientifically based nursing school in history.
If you are compassionate and professional, never weave your focus away even in the most critical moment, have a caring nature for others, have a high emotional intelligence, and have a passion for the healthcare industry, nursing can be the most suitable career for you. But is that the best career choice for you?
Think about your career choice wisely
When we came to the junction of the above question, your passion for a particular career or a field would play the quarterback position. But also, other factors play a significant role in choosing a career. Would that career is financially promising? Do you have the necessary skill set and education to enter that career? And most importantly, is this career in demand? Let’s say your quarterback position answer is ‘definitely being a nurse’.
Global nursing care market prediction
The story of the lady with the lamp is nothing short of inspiring people to admire the nursing profession. And the healthcare market and nursing career are not only considered a prestigious profession but an essential service throughout the centuries.
Even from a financial standpoint, getting into a nursing care career can be promising. As estimated, in 2023, the global nursing care market is expected to grow to 1,374.9 billion USD. That is an expectation of a 7% of growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) compared to 2021. Globally speaking, Western Europe was the largest in the global nursing care market, comprising 43% of the market in 2019, while North America runs in second with a 33% share.
Personal financial aspects of being a nurse
Although the passion for the medical care industry is most important for someone to start a career in nursing, a financial promise is also essential. In Sri Lanka, salaries in the nursing profession can range from roughly 32,000 LKR to 115,000 LKR. During the training period, a government-appointed nurse in training will gain a salary of 32,000 LKR in the first year, and it will gradually increase. After the first appointment, the pay plus allowances peg a substantial monthly wage of the Sri Lankan middle class, with various benefits. The more academic and professional qualifications and experience you possess, the stronger your financial prospect in the nursing profession is for you.
Globally speaking, the highest annual salary for a nurse would be 91,000 USD, and the lowest of the top 10 highest-paid yearly salaries would be 62,000 USD. According to the list, the average would be approximately 6,300 USD per month.
Why should you choose nursing as a career?
According to the annual health statistics report 2019 by the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka 2019, there are 46,841 registered nurses in Sri Lanka. And if you, too, decide to become a Nightingale daughter or a Nightingale son, there are lucrative reasons to back that decision up.
* Personal fulfilment
Like many jobs, being a nursing professional takes work. Longer working hours, continuous shifts, mental preparation requirements, and other hardships can make being a nurse a true challenge. But, the sense that a nurse can make a real difference, personal fulfilment can make it worthwhile. Also, it’s a rewarding career path, both professionally and personally.
* The standard of service
The Sri Lanka Nurses’ Association (SLNA) has set the bar on the quality of the nursing profession high, bestowing a higher recognition for nurses trained in Sri Lanka. Also, they promote continuing education in the field and professional development of the Sri Lankan nursing profession.
* Job security
If the post-covid-19 era and the Sri Lankan economic depression have taught us something, we know that almost any profession can have job security threats under specific conditions. Having said that, the job security of healthcare sector professionals, including nurses, is significantly high locally and globally. Nurses can enter the workforce relatively quickly, and that’s a massive advantage if you choose this profession.
* Global demand
The best part of being a professionally and academically qualified, well-experienced veteran in the nursing profession is that you can work anywhere in the world. The demand for nursing professionals is a worldwide phenomenon, paving the way for your migration options as well.
How can you enter the nursing profession in Sri Lanka?
There are currently 18 nursing training schools in Sri Lanka in the government sector. And the private sector is also geared up to provide quality nursing training to compensate for the demand for nursing services in the private healthcare sector.
If you have 3 simple passes in GCE A/L in Biology/Mathematics/Agriculture, which belongs to the science stream, in a single sitting. Additionally, you should have passed six subjects in the G.C.E Ordinary Level examination in nothing more than two attempts, including credit passes for Sinhala / Tamil Language, Mathematics, Science and English. And the required qualifications for private institutions may vary.
A well-rewarding journey on the path set by Nightingale
Following the path of the original ‘Lady with the Lamp’ can be seen as a chance to enter a stable healthcare market and a self-fulfilling passion. The inspiration and the motivation one could draw from being a nursing professional are pure and almost spiritual.
“Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter’s or sculptor’s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God’s spirit?”
