Bethany College of Nursing – Imparting the Art of Caring
With the whole world progressing each day towards a positive change in terms of living & careers, this is perhaps the best time to look around and discover unconventional career options around us. In addition, post the dawn of the pandemic on our lives, it is abundantly clear that abled nursing professionals are in demand, and moreover, will continue to be in demand. Thereby, nursing professionals deserve a steady growth, a rewarding career and a non-traditional perspective about the field of nursing. On these lines, most of the nursing institutions and colleges across the globe operate, in the pursuit of creating nursing professionals of tomorrow. Furthermore, to get things right, it is important to know that quality education plays an essential part in preparing talented nursing professionals, who are empathetic by nature and have a strong will of sacrificing one’s comforts for the betterment of others. One such institution, which works day in and day out, helping students get converted into employable nursing professionals – Bethany College of Nursing, comes as a ray of hope for budding nursing students.
Started in the year 2008, BCN is a part of the Bethany Congregation, a self-financing Christian Minority certified institution, founded with the sole purpose of training talented nurses to serve humanity, who also have a strong sense of charity and commitment. The college also aims at becoming a landmark institution, which effectively implements new-age learning methodologies, yet, keeping traditional values intact. Apart from being an exemplary place for quality nursing education, the college along with the congregation has a strong philanthropic goal in serving students from weak economic and rural communities through scholarships from both state-sponsored and congregation-sponsored sources.
Creating nightingales of tomorrow
Since the time BCN was founded, the college has given the society 12-batches of trained nursing professionals, who have a strong-hold in nursing and medical fundamentals, and, who are ready to help the world towards better healthcare management. Along with training students to become abled-nursing practitioners, students are also trained in becoming trainers who are capable of imparting effortless nursing knowledge onto others. In addition, the onboard faculty at BCN train students in the various fields of nursing-education, giving them thorough insights of the nursing industry and the future of nursing.
During a brief conversation we had with Fr. Siju Mathew OIC, the Director at BCN, we acted as budding nursing aspirants, asking him all the valid questions, a student would ask before letting the college/institution guide them through their educational/professional careers. Beginning our conversation, we asked Fr. Siju, about how much emphasis is personality development laid at BCN, quiet ecstatic in his response, he stated – “Personality development plays a major role in the day to day curriculum and operation at our institution, hence giving students opportunities to attend workshops and training sessions by trained experts from renowned establishments like IIT Kanpur and so on”.
Through the conversation we also learnt that both academics and outside the classroom activities are given equal importance at BCN, thereby, promoting holistic development and learning among nursing professionals of tomorrow. The impressive infrastructure offered is an added advantage to the students, allowing them to excel in the field of nursing with the help of the extended labs and research facilities made available to them. Moreover, having trained and experienced faculty members impart quality education to the students, lets students find role models in their teachers, and thus, help them guide them in all walks of their life, be it on a personal level or professional.
Bringing excellence at your doorsteps
Taking crisis situations like COVID-19 in a stride, BCN adapted to the new-norm of digital learning with ease. With the best of ICT-enabled learning techniques followed, students still continue to get quality learning in the comfort of their homes. Graded according to their capabilities, students at BCN are given special attention based on their level of understanding letting teachers play a major role in helping students gain confidence in anything and everything they do.
“To stay up to date with the market demands and trends, teachers are sent on training programs on a regular basis”, stated Fr. Siju, talking to us, about the efforts the congregation puts in for the betterment of the onboard teachers.
Furthermore, due to the lack of internet connectivity and other issues, there’s a special initiative coined at the college called the ‘Student Friend’. Where students pass on the classes, notes, and explanations to their fellow classmates, who couldn’t attend the online classes for some unavoidable circumstances. Helping students inculcate empathy and love towards nature and society, they are motivated to attend activities like on-call guidance to COVID-positive patients, visiting underprivileged children across various villages, gardening, donation camps and so on.
Having a strong connect across renowned establishments, be it Fortis Research Memorial hospital, gurgling or getting eminent personalities to inspire students, the management makes sure that every student gets the right amount of exposure to the industry and the world outside. Also, due to the impressive industry-academia relationship existing on campus, students benefit completely from the opportunities they get to attend internships, and, if proved worthy, get placed in top-establishments, be it abroad, or locally, thus getting a thorough launchpad to become nurses cum all-rounders. Who have strong personalities, and who are prudent, observant, quick with crisis management, and therefore a person with compassion.
Fr. Siju Mathew OIC, Director
A research scholar, a man of experience, and, a philanthropist at heart, Fr. Siju has a wide array of qualifications credited to his name. Being a vital part of the congregation, he was experimental in his career and was a part of various colleges and branches governed by the congregation. Currently working as the director at BCN, he guides every student towards imbibing sensitivity and commitment in every task they take up, moving towards an excellence filled life.
