The award is given to nurses based in Karnataka who have made a significant contribution to the nursing profession.
It was a special moment for Jemimal Christopher when she received the Florence Nightingale Award last week at a ceremony in Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru. In her career spanning 42 years, Christopher says, this was the first time she was awarded for her contributions to the nursing profession and the healthcare system.
The Florence Nightingale Award was first established in 2000 by Ivan Nigli, former MLA of Karnataka. Now the Florence Nightingale Award is organised by The Anglo Indian Unity Centre and Garshom Foundation, Bengaluru, in association with the Karnataka government’s Health and Family Welfare Department.
The award is given to nurses based in Karnataka who have made a significant contribution to the nursing profession. This award is named after Florence Nightingale, who is known as the founder of modern nursing. Florence Nightingale was an English nurse who gained fame during the Crimean War for her pioneering work in nursing, which helped to establish nursing as a profession.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Christopher said, “It was a great honour to receive this prestigious award from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and to be acknowledged for my years of service.”
Christopher, presently a senior nursing superintendent at SPARSH Hospital, Bengaluru, says compliments from the recovered patients are satisfying.
“I have been in the nursing profession for 42 years and the one thing I really love about the job is the satisfaction that patients feel when they recover from their illnesses and as a nurse that is an emotional reward for me. Receiving emotional rewards from a patient is very satisfying, especially from vulnerable patients. They think nurses are angels, so we experience the satisfaction of contributing something to society. I get happy when patients appreciate my work,” she tells indianexpress.com.
Recalling the days of the Covid pandemic, when patients visited hospitals with breathing difficulties and were put on ventilators, Christopher says, “They walked back home after we treated them, appreciating our nursing. There was so much uncertainty during the first wave and this virus was affecting everyone. However, we took it as a challenge. In the nursing profession, we have to dedicate ourselves to the service of people. We never said no to anyone.”
haring one of her experiences which she remembers even today, Christopher says, “There was a civil war when I was in the Yemen Republic in 1992-93. It was the first time all of us experienced war first hand. We had only heard stories and news about wars until then. There was no communication between my husband and I for six months because there were no ships or satellite phones. My son was seven-year-old then and they were in Tamil Nadu. My husband worked in CMC Vellore and watched the TV daily, hoping to see me. My son used to ask my husband if I was alive. We treated many soldiers, many of them wounded by bombs. We used to treat the Yemenese. They appreciated the help because we worked all day and all night.”
Born in Tirunelveli district in Valliyur, Tamil Nadu, Christopher completed her schooling in the same district before moving to Madurai to pursue nursing.
Recalling her early days, she says, “I moved to Madurai for nursing and worked at The Christian Mission Hospital, Madurai. After completion, I was sent to CMC Vellore and over there I worked for six to seven years. In 1997, my husband passed away and I joined Mallya Hospital in Bengaluru. For career growth, I joined Apollo Hospital, Mysuru. I was the one who had set up the nursing department at Apollo and later on I joined SPARSH Hospital in 2011 and it’s been 12 years. I am continuing my services at SPARSH as a senior nursing superintendent and it has been a great journey.
In sixth and seventh grade, she would often observe nurses and admire their courage and strength. Christopher was enchanted by nursing as a profession. At a very young age, she aspired to become a nurse.
“The sight of their uniform instilled in me the confidence to pursue this profession. Coincidentally, my brother was employed at a hospital in Madurai, which I frequently visited and witnessed firsthand the polite and compassionate behaviour of nurses and their interactions with patients. These experiences made me want to become a nurse. Over the course of my 42-year career as a nurse, I have never once questioned my choice. I have always found fulfilment and happiness in my profession, and I take immense pride in being a nurse,” she says.
Christopher firmly believes that dedication and commitment are two key fundamental qualities that every nurse should have. Through their actions, attitude and unwavering dedication to their profession, she believes that young nurses should serve as a source of inspiration for their colleagues and others. Moreover, she emphasises the importance of gaining essential skills necessary to effectively handle challenging patient scenarios independently, manage patients with utmost care and adeptly solve problems as they arise.
Asked if the nursing profession has changed in the last 42 years, she responds, “When I was a student or rather a fresher, we would think only about the dedication towards the profession. We got plenty of clinical experience back then because most of the colleges had attached hospitals. Today, there are nursing colleges in every corner but not all have attached hospitals, hence people come with no clinical experience and zero technical knowledge. They have only theoretical knowledge. Further, everyone flies abroad for which they need a one-year experience certificate. They come for a year of experience and have no dedication towards the profession. This is my sincere message to all my junior staff that dedication, empathy and sympathy are important when you work as a nurse because the emotional reward from the patients only comes when you work hard and are dedicated.”
source/contents: indianexpress.com (headline edited)