Through modern education, today Nursing is different from yesterday. Nursing training focuses on developing the unique quality of nurses who are caring, well-disciplined, motivated and equipped with critical thinking skills. Nursing teaches how to use minds, hands and hearts in caring for those in need.

Career in Nursing today offers a breadth of opportunity in education, clinical practice, research and management. A nurse may aspire to be a clinical specialist, a director of nursing or a university professor in university. An experienced nurse may also run her own nursery and there are opportunities to pursue a career abroad.

A 3 years Diploma in Nursing cost about RM60,000 for a student in Malaysia:
1) Course fees – RM40,000
2) hostel – RM10,000
3) books, foods & miscellaneous – RM10,000

There  is a large demand for qualified nurses, both locally and internationally; and the remuneration is quite attractive

At least 130,000 nurses need to be trained by year 2020 in order to meet the nurse-to-resident ratio of 1:200 as required by the World Health Organization (Malaysia’s current ratio is 1:645. In comparison, Singapore’s ratio is 1:203, and Japan’s is 1:134.) Malaysian  hospitals hire foreign nurses, especially from India and Philippines, to meet the demand.

As of June 2004, there were only 39,232 trained nurses in Malaysia, and the Government and private nursing colleges had the capacity to train only 3,000 nurses a year, less than half the required number. 400 nurses annually are loss to foreign hospitals.

Recognizing the acute shortage, the Government has since classified nursing as a critical field and allowed the formation of many new nursing colleges.

PTPTN Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Negara  (National Higher Education Loan Fund), provides almost a 100% loan to students pursing nursing studies.

In order for a nurse to be registered with the Nursing Board (“NB”), a trainee nurse must—
* have minimum three credits in SPM, with credits in Bahasa Malaysia, Science and one other subject, preferably Math or English;
* pass the NB examination administered in the final year of a 3-year Diploma in Nursing programme;
* have completed minimum 48 weeks of practical training at a hospital;
* be over 18 years of age; and
* have an aptitude for nursing and a pleasant personality.

Students who attend nursing colleges attached to a hospital are normally sponsored by the hospital itself and are bonded to the hospital between 5 and 7 years.

Alternatively, students also may borrow the entire sum from PTPTN at 3% interest rate. The student who takes a loan of RM50,000 may have to pay upon graduation about RM350 a month for 15 years. In comparison, the monthly salary of an entry level registered nurse is about RM1,300 (with night shifts, it is RM2,000).

Apart from nursing, there are other allied health programmes—like Pharmacy, Medical Lab Technology, Physiotherapy, Environmental Health and Radiography—that also promise good job prospects upon successful completion of studies.

At present, a person may qualify as a registered nurse by following a programme offered at the following institutions:

1 - Nursing Colleges attached to public hospitals (total 43 colleges throughout the country)

2 - Nursing Colleges attached to private hospitals (13 colleges)

3 - Nursing programmes offered by universities with medical faculties (9 universities)

4 - Private nursing colleges established in recent years, with the approval of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, and accredited by the National Accreditation Board (11 colleges)

Tun Tan Cheng Lock College of Nursing is the first private nursing school in Malaysia established in 1961 at the Assunta Hospital.

In 1991 Puteri Nursing College became the first nursing school to implement diploma nursing programme of the Health Ministry. Subsequently, the following year all other Malaysian nursing colleges followed suit.

The largest nursing college in Malaysia is MasterSkill College of Nursing, which admits 1,000 nursing students each year.


The following are popular nursing colleges in Malaysia :

Puteri Nursing College,  Masterskill College,  Assunta,  Mahsa College
 

Malaysian Health Ministry at the present accept FOREIGN NURSES from the following 7 countries.

Qualified nurses from these 7  countries are allowed to work in Malaysia.

• India
• Pakistan
• Bangladesh
• Indonesia
• Philippine
• Myanmar
• Albania