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
