The havoc caused by the tsunami and the subsequent suffering of the survivors have steeled Sushmita Ghatak?s resolve to become a nurse and work in calamity zones.

Her dream will come closer to fulfilment on Tuesday, when the country?s first emergency and disaster management nursing course gets underway at Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI).

The one-year course will be run under the aegis of the Indian Nursing Council.

?We were shocked twice after the tsunami: first, on seeing the scale of devastation on television and then, witnessing ill-equipped medical personnel trying in vain to deal with the situation,? said CMRI chief operating officer Amit De. ?To be very frank, nurses in our country do not know how to work in a disaster,? he added.

Fifteen candidates, all registered nurses, have been admitted to the course. They have worked in various city hospitals for at least two years.

Five more seats will be added next year. A further increase of seats will depend on the popularity of the course.

?The candidates have to be mentally strong. Natural calamities, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, can disorient even the strongest of bravehearts,? said nursing director Avanthi Gopan.

Among the 15 selected candidates, 13 are from Bengal and one each from Bihar and Maharashtra.

The focus of the course will be on:

Providing prompt and quality care during emergency

Managing and supervising proper patient care even in the remotest of places

Conducting clinical classes and coordinating brief research projects.

Hospital sources said the teacher-student ratio in the course will be 1:5.

?Once the nurses finish their training, they will sit for an examination approved by the Indian Nursing Council,? said CMRI chief operating officer Amit De.

?The nurses will undergo a rigorous training. We will show them clips of disaster situations and then explain how to respond to such situations,? said a senior member of the course faculty.

The course will contain subjects like psychology, sociology, microbiology, applied anatomy, physiology and pharmacology.