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— Lalita Gupta A You are asking me at the right time, for two good reasons. First, the USA needs at least 2 lakh more nurses. By 2020, this shortfall is likely to rise to 8 lakh nurses. Incidentally, this nursing shortfall is also being felt in West Asia, Europe, Canada and Australia. Second, major Indian hospital chains, such as Max HealthStaff, Fortis Healthcare and Apollo Health Resources Ltd (AHRL), have entered into tie-ups with major staffing corporations in the US and have set up training centres in India to provide high-quality nurses with good communication skills to them. Max has centres in Delhi, Chandigarh, Chennai and Kottayam, and more are in the offing. Fortis has centres in Delhi and Kerala, and is in the process of setting up 40 centres allover India in the next 2-3 years. It plans to send 1000 nurses to the US by 2010. Apollo has recruiting centres in Hyderabad and Kottayam; nurses are trained in 8 Apollo hospitals. Of course, you must be good enough to ace the test and/or interview by these hospital chains. After that they will prepare you for NCLEX-RN, the registered nurse test, as well as the English language exam. Also, they will expose you to higher levels of medical care, train you in soft skills and facilitate your immigration papers. You get all this for free, including the airfare. Thus, you find your passage to America. Interpreter of maladies Q What is epidemiology? How does one become an epidemiologist? — Mayank Kaushik A Just as a crime remains a mystery until solved (with the help of forensic and criminology intelligence), the outbreak of a disease also remains a mystery until it is solved through Epidemiology Intelligence (EI). Several outbreaks in India like the one in Surat or the recent childhood killer brain disease in Andhra, remain unsolved precisely due to lack of EI. Outbreaks of diseases such as Japanese encephalitis, dengue, haemorrhagic fever and leptospirosis occur frequently but public authorities fail to predict or prevent them. Epidemiology seeks to study the patterns and causes of diseases. Epidemiologists collect and interpret data on diseases in order to prevent, control and treat them. Major discoveries in the field of public health have been due to detailed epidemiological analyses of events and diseases. It is due to the work of epidemiologists that small pox has been eradicated from the world, polio has been near eliminated, and the link between smoking and lung cancer has been established. As opposed to the curative emphasis of mainstream medicine, epidemiology focuses on preventive medicine. The trick lies in quickly identifying the mode of transmission and applying preventive measures. For instance, the transmission route of a deadly strain of encephalitis virus was traced from fruit bats (flying foxes) to pigs to humans and then to other humans! In India, epidemiologists have traditionally been MBBS graduates specializing in preventive medicine. Now, postgraduate courses are being offered by several government and private institutions to train epidemiologists. Among the major institutions in this field are the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi; National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai; All-India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kalkata, and Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. Epidemiologists are employed by NGOs, research institutions, universities, and international institutions, such as WHO and UNICEF. They also serve as government health officers. You need an inquisitive and analytical mind with deeper focus on minute details to succeed as an epidemiologist. CAT call Q I am DOEACC "O","A"& "B" qualifier after 10+2; I want to know if I am eligible to give CAT examination for admission to MBA programmes in the IIMs and other leading B-schools. I am unable to get a clear response from anyone. — Amrit Singh A Cheers! This may come as a breath of fresh air for the hundreds (or is it thousands?) of DOEACC B-level qualifiers, the answer is a resounding YES. After persistent follow-up from students and the relevant authorities, the IIMs have included DOEACC “B’ level as a sufficient eligibility condition for CAT 2007. And rightly so. If the “B level is considered equivalent to MCA and is fully acceptable for appearing in the GATE for admission to MTech programmes in the IITs etc, there is no reason why it shouldn’t apply to the CAT as well. This is now clearly mentioned on the IIMA website under point f: in the “Clarifications regarding CAT 2007 Eligibility” page. So, rejoice and start preparing for the mahakumbh of all entrance exams in dead earnest. Best of luck! Tongue twitter Q I am studying in Class XIi. I want to learn foreign languages, partly because I want to make a career out of them and partly to visit foreign countries. How good is learning a foreign language through correspondence? — Nupur Paintal A It is one thing to learn through correspondence because you want to know a little more about something, it is another thing to learn through correspondence, because you want to make a career out of what you learn. With few exceptions, try to avoid the latter. A correspondence course lacks the quality and depth of a regular course, especially in case of foreign languages. To earn a livelihood through a foreign language, you have to be constantly in touch with the use of language by reading newspapers, magazines and books. In addition, you have to be in touch with other people who can speak that language to improve your speaking skills. Understanding and appreciation of the fine aspects of the language in the context of the culture and social nuances of the country whose language you are learning, only comes through speaking and conversation. Which is why, such courses should never be studied through correspondence. Bureaucracy vs B-school Q I am a science graduate. I have always dreamt of joining the Civil Services. All my friends say that this is no longer a hot field and I should look at other fields like IT or management. Please guide. — Krishna Diwakar A Regardless of what your well-meaning friends may say and despite complaints of falling standards and relatively lower salary, the Indian Administrative Services continue to be the preferred option for the majority of Indian youth as they provide visible as well as invisible perks, social status and benefits with 100 per cent job security, something lacking in the private sector, according to a study conducted by the ASSOCHAM. Eighty per cent of the 300 young corporate executives who responded to the survey agreed, “IAS, IFS, IPS go on drawing the best available talent contrary to surfacing impressions that flight of talent has shifted towards private sector with fast advancing liberalisation”. Over 70 per cent agreed that the private sector does offer handsome package to bright young executives but minus job security, whereas there is no element of uncertainty befalling a civil servant. Fiftyfive per cent of the respondents blamed the oft-reported interventions of politicians in the day-to-day working of bureaucrats for discouraging bright people from joining the services. So, if the CS is where your heart is set, go for it by all means. And give it your best shot. Our country needs bright and motivated civil servants as much as it needs IT engineers and managers. The writer is a noted career consultant Please send in your query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers@tribunemail.com
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Q I am a qualified nurse working in a private hospital in my small town for the last four years. I am hard working and good at my job and would like to go to the US to improve my prospects, but don’t know how to proceed. Please help. 
