Universities explain: "Because of the virus we have to be aware of the population" • May Degilisky, who will begin her studies at the Jezreel Valley Academy: "This is a sacred work"
Dr. Halperin (left) and a student at Jezreel College
Photography:
Michelle dot com
It is not obvious to find benefits in Corona, but in nursing schools across the country it is indeed so. The standing of the brothers and sisters at the forefront of the fight against the virus has led to exceptional demands for admission to studies.
One of those admitted to the program is Mai Degilisky (23), who will begin her first year this month on her way to the title of Certified Academic Nurse (Nursing) at the Emek Yizrael Academy.
"I see nursing as a profession designed to help people, no matter where - the pediatric ward, the emergency department or the corona ward," says May, whose mother Dorit is the deputy director of the delivery room at Haemek Hospital in Afula.
"I have always seen her work as something very positive. She brings life to the world. It is big and meaningful. Brothers and sisters do sacred work."
According to her, the corona only accelerated her desire to study nursing.
"I always wanted to study nursing and now it has given me even greater motivation, because in the end it's being at the heart of doing, in the whole thing, learning new things and helping people. I'm really not determined to be a midwife, I'm open to new things. I come with a head. "Open and probably only at the end of school I will know what interests me. In any case, as long as I can help people I will be happy to do it and it will satisfy me."
Archive photo: Hadassah spokeswoman
The nursing profession in Israel is taught at various universities and colleges along with a bachelor's degree and also includes practical training.
Academic institutions are reporting high demand this year.
For example, at Jezreel Valley College, two competed for each place.
At the Hebrew University, 886 were enrolled and 206 of them were accepted. In nursing, as in medicine, there are quotas, so not everyone can be accepted.
In a broader perspective, the number of students has doubled over the past decade.
According to data from the Council for Higher Education, in the last academic year 2007/08, approximately 7,180 undergraduate students studied nursing - compared with 3,069 in 2009/10.
"Understand the importance"
"There is no doubt that because of the corona we need awareness of the population, the necessity and importance of the place of the nurse and the brother in health care," says Dr. Ayala Blau, head of the Department of Nursing at Ariel University. "Unfortunately, the profession has a problem of image, partly because of its name. 'Nursing'.
To this day, the place of the nurse is not perceived as standing on its own, but as one that relies on assistance to the medical profession.
But the truth is that the nursing profession has a huge wealth and a lot of therapeutic independence.
In fact, alongside the doctor, the brothers and sisters who manage the treatment and are with the patients 24/7, there is no other such role. "
She herself is a nurse and midwife by training, who began nursing studies during the Yom Kippur War, even before it was customary to study the profession alongside an academic degree.
"Today it is a profession based on research and facts, entering academia has led to a lot more research and knowledge that improves patient care. We are there from the moment of pregnancy and birth, so a person goes out into the world, until the moment people die and close their eyes. We have responsibilities in every field."
And what about the salary?
"For years there was a problem of low wages, but in recent decades the Histadrut has fought and wages have risen. Today it is above average, and if you specialize in a particular field, it can be a handsome wage - not like in high-tech, but there is no satisfaction in any profession."
Along with Ariel University, nursing students also study at Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, as well as colleges such as the Ono Academic Campus, Jezreel Valley College, Tel Aviv-Yafo Academy and the Lev Academic Center.
"Because of the Corona, we extended the registration period for nursing studies," says Dr. Ofra Halperin, head of the Department of Nursing at the Jezreel Valley Academy.
The demand for admission to education has risen by 25 percent.
We do simulations and interviews for the candidates, and do not compromise on the threshold conditions. "
What mix is in the classrooms?
"Diverse, both young guys and older people. There are students from the Jewish and Arab population, religious and secular. I think the whole of Israeli society is represented because the profession speaks to everyone and crosses different cultures and societies. There are many students who come from such a different personal encounter with a system. "Health. They want to change and do good. It is also clear to them that they will always have a job and they will be equally valued, no matter where they come from and what their origin is."
Some of the students beginning to study nursing have enrolled in an academic conversion program.
According to Dr. Michal Yitzhaki, Head of the Department of Nursing at the School of Health Professions at the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, “Students come with diverse degrees, such as business administration, communications, law and more.
These are people who decide to make a change in mid-life, it is possible that some of them were even expelled from the IDF or fired because of the corona and chose a stable profession with job security.
But there is another aspect: "The profession provides a sense of empowerment, self-fulfillment and social mission. The diversity is enormous. Academic brothers and sisters can during their career switch between working in hospitals and the community, working with children, in intensive care or maternity ward. This diversity prevents professional burnout beyond security. "It is a flexible profession: it is possible to work shifts or part-time and advance professionally and managerially."
And it also has an important message: "Brothers and sisters have a tremendous responsibility. They must be rewarded more to be encouraged to learn the profession and retain those in the system."