Nursing Student Taking the Lead in the Blood Donation Drive

Nursing Student Conducting Blood Test

Measuring Body Mass

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 July 2008 - Nursing students from UCSI (University College Sedaya International) today celebrated Nursing Day themed “Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Primary Health Care.” Nursing students organised various activities during the 2-day event, such as sales of snacks to raise funds for the Student Nurses’ Association, health screening tests as well as a health exhibition at UCSI’s student area. A seminar featuring talks by faculty members and health care personnel was held at the Multi-purpose Hall during the first day of the event. A blood donation drive also took place, tended by representatives from the National Blood Bank with 150 donors stepping forward to give their blood. The Nursing Day event was also a platform the students used to kick-off fund-raising for their community service project, which will allow the students to do community service at Rumah Sayangan and Rumah Solehahevery week.

The Nursing School has recently initiated a community service project that will involve students visiting selected community homes to provide quality time and service to its residents. This community service will take place every Friday, and provide students with the opportunity to interact with the residents, practice people skills and create awareness towards social responsibility. According to senior lecturer, Madam Than Soo Nyet, “More fund raising activities will be carried out and the funds generated will also be extended to include the Taman Midah Rukun Tetangga.” Almost RM900 was raised during Nursing Day which will be the initial funds to kick start the nursing students’ long commitment to this community service project. 

UCSI’s School of Nursing pledges to educate student nurses with emphasis on making them understand the dynamics of change that is constantly occurring in the health care system and recognising opportunities for innovation and creativity in response to those dynamics. Assoc. Professor Jeya Devi Coomarasamy, the university’s Associate Dean of the School of Nursing said, “From this semester onwards, the school will collaborate with Non-Governmental Organisations to encourage students’ greater participation in the community and extra curricular activities outside of their classroom studies.” This, she says would develop students’ communication, leadership and management skills in addition to their clinical skills. “We are providing a pool of pro-active, dynamic nursing leaders of the future, whom UCSI can be proud of.” 

More than 50 percent of the health care providers in Malaysia are made up of nurses. One of the seminar key speakers, Matron Leela Chellamuthu said, “In the past, a nurses’ role has been stereotyped as acting as hand-maiden to doctors, carrying out trivial tasks such as making beds and sponging patients. In recent years however, when nurses have the opportunity to pursue tertiary education leading to degrees, Masters and Ph D. qualifications, they are now recognised as professionals and not just as a support group.” 

There is a large demand for nurses in Malaysia and globally, with vast opportunities especially in clinical specialization and advanced practice roles. Nurses are now undertaking responsibilities which were formerly considered the domain of medical professionals or administrators. Nurses too have now been appointed as hospital directors in Malaysia and have a bigger voice in policy and decision-making. 

Nursing Day is celebrated annually here in UCSI as well as worldwide, to commemorate the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who pioneered modern nursing in the 18th century.