The Flight Of A Nightingale (Autobiography of National Florence Nightingale Awardee)

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This book is an Autobiography of Mrs Vijayalakshmi Banerjee, a National Florence Nightingale Awardee and an excellent nurse, administrator and educator with distinguished service to patients for the last over 46 years. She has been instrumental in helping setup two of India's premier hospitals, viz. Escort Heart Institute and Research Centre in 1988 and Medanta-The Medicity in 2009. Mrs Banerjee also has had over a decade of rich experience in the Indian army and has served in India and in Afghanistan. She is decorated with long service medal and the Sangram medal for her contribution in the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Mrs. V. Banerjee is a Kanarese, born in Trichi on 12 July 1948, in a middle class Hindu family, to Shri S. Rangaswamy, a distinguished police officer and Smt. Rajammal. Brought up in Tamil Nadu, she studied in Coimbatore, Trichi and Salem in Tamil Nadu and Pune in Maharashtra and worked in Lucknow, Delhi, and Gurugram in India, and Kabul in Afghanistan. She is married to Mr. Tapan Banerjee, a Bengali, and they are settled in Delhi. That's truly an Indian with diversity! She has two daughters and a lovely grandson.

I am Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Banerjee, a National Florence Nightingale Awardee 2013. By All-India selection, I was selected for B.Sc. Nursing. Only 15 candidates were selected in our batch. That was the 4th batch (1967-1968) from our College of Nursing, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. I am an Ex-Captain who served for 11 years in the Military Nursing Service in the Indian Army, decorated with long service medal and the Sangram medal for my contribution in the 1971 India-Pakistan war. I was sent on deputation to Kabul, Afghanistan for 2 years (1976-1978) and taught in the Military Academy.

I am a dynamic leader with more than 46 years of experience in the field of Nursing. A self-starter with analytical, organisational, and creative skills, especially skilled at building working relationship with patients and their families, doctors and healthcare professionals. Equipped with strong management, negotiation and public relations skills I continue to deliver the Nursing service with quality, compassion and commitment. Specialised in Emergency, Cardiac and Critical Care Nursing. Ensuring the medical services at the doorsteps of the needy people in NCR, committed to human development and community services. Contributed to service to attain standard in quality patient care, teaching, research at National and International level. Key contributor in setting up of two renowned hospitals, viz. Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi and Medanta — The Medicity in a multi-superspecialty hospital, Gurugram, Haryana.

The present generation of nurses needs to learn patience, flexibility, sincerity, ethical values, compassion, commitment, open communication, positive attitude, transparency besides nursing education and skills. They need proper guidance and teaching in clinical field. I hope this book will encourage and motivate them to be dedicated individuals.

This book is written for all. It is an interesting story to read and self-evaluate about oneself. Motivate them to be in a better level and become a successful individual in their profession. If I look back, I am only a B.Sc. Nurse, but with different kinds of experience which I gained and put into practice, I reached this level. Practice makes the person perfect. I take this opportunity to thank Dr. Naresh Trehan. I thank everyone who contributed to me in this successful journey. I am thankful to Dr. Sumana Arora, who motivated me to write this book.

This book is a precious repository of experience of one of our foremost nursing leaders. It gives me great pleasure to write the foreword to this book, as it brought back many memories of my association with Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Banerjee. She is a National Florence Nightingale Awardee and an excellent nurse, administrator and educator with distinguished service to patients for the last 46 years. It has been a pleasure working with her for the last thirty years. She has been instrumental in helping set up two of India's premier hospitals, viz. Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in 1988 and Medanta — The Medicity in 2009. This book records her journey from humble beginnings, the challenges faced and how she overcame them successfully both at the personal and professional front. The story's human touch makes it all the more interesting and engrossing. I am sure it would be a great source of inspiration for all, specially the nurses.