With the increasing rate of chronic diseases and the growing resistance of superbugs, the need for health care services is rising across the world. And, this has led to an upsurge in the demand for nurses, health workers and midwives. In order to get associated with this noble profession, one needs to undertake nursing courses.
Nurses/health workers/midwives are well known to bring about a positive and healthy change in the life of others. Once a bastion of only females in India, now lots of male students have started to enrol for nursing courses owing to excellent career prospects. Further, Indian nurses are well received throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, as well as the Middle East.
For ANM (Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife) course, a candidate should have passed grade 12 from any recognised institution affiliated to CBSE, ICSE, state boards or any other equivalent qualification thereof.
For GNM (General Nursing and Midwifery) course, one should have passed grade 12 exams conducted by central/state boards or any other qualification recognised as equivalent.
For BSc Nursing, one should have passed grade 12 examinations conducted by CBSE, ICSE, state boards or any other exam considered equivalent to this.
For BSc Nursing (Post Basic), a candidate should have passed class 12 exams under the 10+2 system of education and should also possess a diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) from an institution recognised by the Indian Nursing Council and should be registered with any state nursing council.
Also, one should satisfy the age requirements (above 17 years and below 35 years on or before 31st December of the year in which admission is sought), be medically fit, and have secured the prescribed aggregate marks recommended by the authorities concerned.
Various institutions of national and international repute, including AIIMS, New Delhi; JIPMER, Pondicherry; AFMC, Pune; CMC, Vellore and Ludhiana; and St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, offer BSc and MSc nursing courses. Also, the National Institute of Nursing Education Chandigarh and the University of Delhi rank among the top institutions and universities that offer graduate and postgraduate courses in nursing. Further, a number of nursing colleges affiliated to the Indian Nursing Council offer AMN and GNM courses.
While most of the institutions conduct their own entrance examinations for BSc and MSc nursing courses, some medical colleges offer admissions as per the merit list of the state-held common entrance examination, which is majorly based on the syllabus prescribed for grade 12 students (science stream). The entrance exams are usually conducted in the months of May/June and candidates are advised to look at the websites of respective institutions to which they wish to apply or major newspapers for advertisements in this regard.
For ANM and GNM courses, screening examinations are conducted by certain institutions like Nursing Examination Board while the majority of colleges consider only the marks secured in the grade 12 exam.
Except for few MSc Nursing courses offered through distance education mode by certain institutions as long, MPhil and PhD programs administered by various universities, all other nursing courses involve classroom teaching and practical training with regular attendance being a mandatory feature.
For those joining ANM or GNM courses in government, colleges need to pay something close to INR 5000 per year while private institutions charge anything between INR 30,000-60,000 annually.
For BSc Nursing (Post Basic), merit students pay something in the range of INR 7,000 annually while privately-funded colleges charge the fee in the range of INR 40,000-60,000.
Similarly, for BSc Nursing (4-year course), the fees for a merit seat is about INR 5,000-7,000 annually while private institutions charge between INR 50,000-80,000 with top-notch institutions charging close to INR 1-1.2 lacs per year as fees.
|
Type |
Fee Structure |
Duration |
|
Diploma |
INR 5000-60,000 |
2- 3 ½ years |
|
Bachelor’s degree |
INR 7000-1.2 lacs |
2-4 years |
With various nationalised and private banks offering educational loans with liberal terms and without security, it is not difficult for aspiring students to secure a loan from banks if the need arises.
For MSc Nursing courses, one should have passed BSc Nursing (Post Basic) or BSc Nursing (4-year course) with a minimum of 55 per cent aggregate marks from an educational institution recognised by the Indian Nursing Council. The candidate should be a registered nurse or midwife with the State Nursing Registration Council.
|
Type |
Fee Structure |
Duration |
|
MSc Nursing |
INR 10,000-1.5 lacs |
2 years |
|
MPhil in Nursing |
Depends on the university |
1-year full-time 2-year part-time |
|
PhD in Nursing |
Depends on the university |
3-5 years |
There is a huge difference in the fees for various nursing courses between government-run institutions and private colleges. While institutions like AIIMS charge as low as INR 2000-8000 for MSc Nursing, private institutions charge up to INR 1.5 lacs. The fees for MPhil courses vary according to the universities while research grant is offered for those pursuing PhD in Nursing at some universities.
BSc Nursing (Post Basic), which is undertaken after the completion of GNM course, offers specialised training in various fields including:
Being a diploma program, ANM does not offer a wide choice of profiles but still one can find employment as a home nurse or a community/basic/rural health worker in rural health centres, government hospitals, various NGOs, and old age homes, as well as with government-run health schemes like NRHM, AYUSH etc.
One can find employment as a staff nurse or as a community health worker in government or private hospitals, nursing homes and NGOs along with a lot of many governments and health schemes.
One can join as a staff nurse and can go up the ladder to become a nursing superintendent, head of the nursing staff, or chief nursing officer.
An MSc degree is one of the most preferred postgraduate courses in the field of nursing. But one can also go for postgraduate diploma programs, MPhil in Nursing or a PhD in Nursing.
One can choose from any of the below-mentioned specialities offered at the MSc level according to their area of interest and get advanced training in the same.
On completion of MSc Nursing, one can join as an Assistant Nursing Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Critical Care Nursing Specialist, Paramedical Nursing Specialist, Rehabilitation Nursing Specialist, or Community Health Specialist, as per their qualification, experience and area of specialisation.
After MPhil or PhD in Nursing, one can enrol for teaching in nursing colleges as an Associate Professor or Professor according to the experience and qualification.