Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Assume leadership roles in healthcare, nurses told

Staff Reporter

`More people falling a victim to chronic diseases'

Coimbatore: Nurses in the country should opt for leadership roles in the healthcare sector to combat prevailing diseases, Donna McNeese-Smith, Professor, Nursing Administration Graduate Programme, School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), said here on Friday.

TB a scourge

Addressing a graduation ceremony at PSG College of Nursing, Prof. McNeese-Smith observed that 4.5 million Indians were afflicted with AIDS, tuberculosis was still a scourge, substance abuse was growing, more people were falling a victim to chronic diseases, obesity and lack of exercise were taking their toll, and maternity and infant mortality rates still high. Despite advances in medical technology, what people needed most was medical care from nurses who took the lead in preventive and community healthcare.

`Have a vision'

"Establish a vision for the future, describe it, picture it in your mind, discuss it with others and then dare to be the change you want to be. Have confidence and believe in your ability to lead," she said adding that they should not doubt themselves when facing criticism.

"Those who resist change are those who had benefited most under the old system. Challenge the way things are done, keep learning and growing, and keep reading," she said. They should identify the mission of their profession, create a vision of how the profession should progress, and then perform what was necessary to turn vision into reality.

Vijayalakshmi Ethiraj, Principal, Rani Meyyammai College of Nursing, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, said that nurses should aim at being good human beings who respected human values.

Develop self-respect

To be successful in their profession, they should develop self-confidence and self-respect, learn to coordinate their activities in a team and draw up effective plans.

The Chief Executive, PSG Institutions, C. R. Swaminathan, presided over the function.

The principal, PSG College of Nursing, Elizabeth Jean Abraham, presented a report.

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