Considering this, Goa has something special to boast about. St Bridget’s Institute of Home Nursing, located in the quiet village of Aldona, is one of the first and only home nursing institutes in the country to offer AI as a subject. Besides the regular training for nurses who tend to patients at their homes, this institute also prepares these nurses to make use of AI to revolutionise care delivery.
St Bridget’s Institute of Home Science was established in 1989 by Caritas-Goa. In 1992, the Sisters of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary took over the management of the institute and began to offer a diploma program, as well as other short-term courses. Later, the Home Nursing course was introduced to train both males and females to provide essential care to the elderly and sick. Now the institute offers a comprehensive 1-year course that covers the fundamentals of nursing, anatomy and physiology, emergency nursing, and several other subjects, including the use of AI.
Sr Ana D’Mello, the Principal of St Bridget’s Nursing Institute, shares the vision behind accommodating AI in the syllabus. “As healthcare evolves, the Institute believes that the students must keep pace with the changing needs of the profession,” she says. She explains that the students will learn how to use AI to prepare personalised care plans, understand laboratory reports and scans, prepare nursing documentation, create medication schedules, and develop diet plans based on a doctor’s advice. AI will help the students explain medical instructions clearly and prepare material to educate the patient. Besides this, an increasing requirement as a home nursing professional is the need to quickly access reliable medical information when providing care.
The unique use of AI also provides home nurses with the ability to communicate with patients who speak different languages. By facilitating communication through real-time translation, AI equips these professionals to work in hospitals and homes across the world.
Shedding light on this distinctive aspect of the syllabus, Sr Ana says, “The programme introduces students to AI-powered tools that can analyse patient information, identify possible health risks, suggest appropriate questions to ask during an assessment and assist in recognising patterns that require medical attention.”
The outcome of the work of every healthcare professional is to care for and improve the life of an ailing individual. With AI, this outcome is solidified through this course: “By combining compassionate caregiving with practical AI skills, St Bridget’s Institute of Home Nursing aims to prepare home nurses who are ready for the changing health landscape, to improve the well-being of individuals and for employment opportunities across the world,” says Sr Ana.
Sheila D’Souza, a retired home nurse, believes that this is an empowering move. “It is remarkable that even home nurses can make use of this technology. AI will only improve the care that home nurses can provide because ultimately, we are also individuals with limited capabilities, who try our best.”
St Bridget’s Institute of Home Nursing’s one-year course comprises 7 months of theory and 5 months of practicals at the Mapusa District Hospital, homes for the aged, therapy centers, and private homes. Since its inception, the Institute has achieved 100% job placement for every batch. Admissions to the course are underway and will close by the end of August 2026. Eligibility for the course is 10th pass, while 12th pass and graduates also undertake this course.
As the world around us is accelerating towards technology and particularly AI, the need of the hour is to equip ourselves with the knowledge to adapt to this change. St Bridget’s Institute is a perfect example of this and is truly an achievement for our state.
