XN000022-1983-11-06 — Page 9

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1983

THE IR GRADUATION CAME AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO BUILD FIVE MORE NURSING SCHOOLS BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, IN HIS OPENING ADDRESS AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON OCTOBER 5, 1983.

ELEVEN OUT OF THE TWENTY GRADUATES, INCLUDING HELEN AND TERRY, ARE GOVERNMENT NURSES.

THE COURSE, THE FIRST TO BE CONDUCTED LOCALLY, WAS DESIGNED BY THREE NURSING EDUCATORS IN 1981. THE TWO-YEAR INTENSIVE PROGRAMME COVERS NURSING THEORY AND KNOWLEDGE, TEACHING THEORY AND METHODS, PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, PHYSIOLOGY AND MICRO-BIOLOGY,

HELEN AND TERRY ARE NOW TEACHING IN VARIOUS NURSING SCHOOLS

IN THE EXISTING GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS.

+THE TEACHING METHOD THAT I'VE LEARNT DURING THE COURSE AND THE FIELD EXERCISES ARE HELPING ME IN MY NEW ROLE,+ SAID HELEN.

SHE ADDED, I'M NOW TEACHING MIDWIFERY STUDENTS IN THE OBSTETRIC DEPARTMENT AT QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL. I THINK I CAN APPLY MOST OF THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I'VE LEARNT IN TEACHING MY STUDENTS.

+PERSONALLY, | GAIN MOST FROM THE PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY CLASSES BECAUSE THESE SUBJECTS ENLARGED MY SCOPE OF LIFE AND GAVE ME A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF MY FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS.

TERRY, WHO IS NOW TEACHING FIRST-YEAR STUDENT NURSES IN THE SCHOOL OF GENERAL NURSING AT PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL, SAID THAT THE COURSE HAD GIVEN HIM CONFIDENCE IN GIVING LECTURES IN CLASS.

+WE WERE GIVEN A LOT OF ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE AND IT WAS QUITE TOUGH AT THE BEGINNING TO GO THROUGH ALL THESE AS I HAD LEFT SCHOOL A LONG TIME AGO, HE SAID.

+BUT THE EFFORTS THAT I PUT INTO THESE STUDIES NOW ENABLE ME TO HAVE A FIRM GRIP ON TEACHING, WHICH I THINK, IS A MOST VALUABLE TOOL IN DISSEMINATING THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE LEARNT.

+AS A TUTOR NURSE, I ALWAYS HAVE TO IMPROVE AND REFRESH MY KNOWLEDGE BY READING BOOKS ON NURSING; PREPARING LECTURE NOTES, AND CHECKING STUDENTS' ASSIGNMENTS.+

BUT TERRY FINDS HIS NEW PROFESSION MORE INTERESTING THAN THE WORK HE USED TO DO BECAUSE, HE ADDED, THE LONGER HE TEACHES, THE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE HE WILL BECOME.

QUALIFIED NURSES WITH THREE YEARS OF WORKING EXPERIENCE AND WHO WANT TO PURSUE A TEACHING CAREER IN NURSING CAN APPLY FOR ENROLMENT IN THE TUTOR NURSE COURSE.

CANDIDATES WILL HAVE TO PASS A SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW TO BE CONDUCTED BY THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

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