B.Sc in Nursing is an undergraduate course for students who are interested in providing aftercare to patients in healthcare facilities like hospitals, nursing homes, and health centres. It is a specialised course in nursing with the duration of four years. Several private and public academic institutions offer the course on a full-time basis. The course fee may vary from one institution to another, ranging somewhere between INR 1 Lakh and INR 5 lakhs. After pursuing this programme, students can enter the nursing profession. The Indian Nursing Council controls the nursing course in India.
B.Sc in Nursing course focuses on the medical care and aftercare of individual patients, families and communities. Professional nurses help patients with quicker recovery, health maintenance, and attainment of optimal health condition. They also support patients in maintaining the quality of their life. Under the B.Sc programme in nursing, students are able to gain skills in various domains, including anatomy, microbiology, physiology, biochemistry, psychology, pharmacology, pathology, genetics, and nutrition. They learn about both the theoretical and the practical aspects of nursing and midwifery.
Several colleges and institutions across the country offer the B.Sc in Nursing programme. However, some popular institutions and universities provide quality, value-adding courses with job orientation. Following are some such institutions listed for you:
Acharya Institute of Health Sciences, Bengaluru
School of Nursing and Medical Technology, Burdwan/Kolkata
Avadh Institute of Medical Technologies and Hospital, Lucknow
University of Delhi, New Delhi
Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phoole University, Jaipur
Armed Forces Medical College, Pune
Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi
Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai
Government Medical College, Nagpur
King George’s Medical University, Lucknow
Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Nursing, Pune
Symbiosis College of Nursing, Pune
Chitkara School of Health Sciences, Chandigarh
While any 12th-pass student in science stream can go for the B.Sc in Nursing course if he/she has a humanitarian approach in life, here are some other essential skills that students must possess for excelling in the nursing domain:
A genuine interest and passion for serving the community
A caring and compassionate nature
Decent English communication
Good interpersonal skills to deal with a variety of patients
Sensitivity to the needs of patients
Patience and perseverance
Discipline to follow a routine
After successful completion of B.Sc in Nursing course, students can take up job roles of nurses, nursing assistants and nursing scientists. The scope of the nursing programme is wide, and professionals in this domain have no dearth of jobs. They can work in medical and healthcare centres, nursing homes, hospitals, defence services, railways, government health departments, private clinics, and research institutions. Nursing care is required in various types of organisations where wounded or sick people need attention and support.
Thus organisations, other than medical sectors, may also come up with vacancies for junior or senior nurses and nurse supervisors. With time, the demand for professional nurses is bound to rise. On the other hand, students can raise their job or career prospects if they also complete the Masters-level course in nursing after doing the B.Sc in Nursing course. Higher education in this area will give them more expertise and better job opportunities. For those students who want to enter the teaching profession in nursing, it is advisable to pursue a PhD programme after completing the B.Sc and M.Sc in Nursing.
After B.Sc in Nursing and higher education at least at the postgraduate level, they can go on becoming specialist caretakers, educators, administrators and the like. They can also work as nurses by joining the special health care initiatives that are usually run by NGOs or the government. Under such initiatives, nurses can gain an experience of working with people in several communities and rural areas. In fact, many nurses also get a chance to explore domain-specific job opportunities in foreign countries where the demand for nurses is at an all-time high. They can work there as paramedic nurses, critical care nurses, nurse managers, and rehabilitation specialists.
To seek admission in the B.Sc in Nursing course, a candidate must meet the following eligibility criteria:
The candidate should have passed 10+2 in PCB subjects (physics, chemistry, biology) or an equivalent exam from a recognised board.
Many institutions may also require candidates to have achieved a minimum marks percentage in the class 12th exam. However, this may not be the criterion in all the colleges.
Some institutions may also ask candidates to be medically fit for admission in the nursing course.
The candidates will have to appear in the entrance exam of specific institutions in which they want to apply for admission. Most colleges or universities conduct their own nursing entrance exams and consider the meritorious candidates for admission in the B.Sc in Nursing course.
As particular institutions or universities may set some additional eligibility criteria, students must check every single criterion of the institution in which they want to apply.
The B.Sc programme in nursing is a specialised course itself. Thus, there are no further specialisations available. However, after completing the B.Sc in Nursing, students are trained on working individually, as well as in teams in several specialities. They get training in assessing the need for care, as well as in planning and implementing that care to patients. Nursing students are also able to evaluate the quality of care provided to patients.
The nursing course additionally makes students learn about medical-surgical nursing, midwifery and obstetrical nursing, mental health nursing, child health nursing, community health nursing, etc. They even gain knowledge and practice of nursing research and analytical or statistical techniques. After they complete the course, they can work with qualified doctors and surgeons as their medical assistants. There are several other career options open for them after completing the B.Sc in Nursing course.