A Career in Nursing
Healthcare is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. It is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers. It refers to the work done in providing primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care, as well as in public health.
Healthcare industry comprises businesses that offer clinical services, manufacture drugs and medical equipment, and provide healthcare-related services to people such as medical insurance. These companies play a key role in the diagnosis, treatment, nursing, and management of the illness, disease, and injury. The healthcare industry offers many career opportunities that cater to a variety of skills and professional aptitudes. Some healthcare careers involve working directly with patients to diagnose, treat, and maintain their health, while others require managing patient information, billing, and/or administration.
The industry is growing at a tremendous pace owing to its strengthening coverage, services and increasing expenditure by public as well as private players. Growing incidents of lifestyle diseases, rising demand for affordable healthcare delivery systems due to the increasing healthcare costs, technological advancements, the emergence of telemedicine, rapid health insurance penetration and government initiatives like e-health together with tax benefits and incentives are driving the healthcare market in India.
Among several professionals that deliver healthcare services, one professional is the General Duty Assistant or GDA. GDAs ensure that immediate medical attention and timely assistance are provided to patients in hospitals, clinics, and old age homes. The responsibilities of a GDA are to ensure that those under their care receive timely medication, and assistance in daily routines and tasks that some patients will not be able to perform themselves. They also help maintain a suitable environment for a patient’s recovery.
The GDAs are the first rung of patient care but with hard work, further professional training and experience they can grow as per the career path that follows:
The responsibilities of GDAs are:
- Observing and recording patient behavior and vital statistics.
- Assisting in basic patient care like helping with delivering their daily medication.
- Dressing and feeding patients, the elderly, or the disabled who are under their care.
- Helping patients exercise and other physio requirements suggested by therapists.
- Assisting patients in and out of bed or moving around their rooms.
- Managing patient’s hygiene and cleanliness.
- Providing any extra care that needs to be provided, including housekeeping, and helping maintain a safe environment for patients.
GDAs need to focus on patient care in whatever they do. So, the competencies they need are:
- Education and Training Good communication skills.
- Service and result-oriented.
- High level of patience and tolerance.
- Ability to build empathy with others.
- Mindful and observant with great attention with detail.
- Quality consciousness.
- Willingness to learn new concepts and skills.
- Self-motivated, positive team player with good interpersonal skills.
- Highly oriented towards maintaining hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation.
| Education and Training | ||
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| After 12th | Some Colleges | |
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Auxillary Nursing & Midwifery General Nursing & Midwifery B.Sc. Nursing |
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