ANM (Auxiliary Nursing and Midwifery)

Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

ANM stands for Auxiliary Nursing and Midwifery course. It is a 2 years long Diploma program related to the field of nursing. In this article, you will be reading about ANM course details, eligibility criteria, admission process, syllabus, pg courses & further studies, career prospects and job profiles available after completing the course.

Nursing is an integral part of healthcare sector. Nurses play a crucial role in the smooth functioning of different types of health organizations (hospitals, dispensaries, NGOs etc).

Nursing is the discipline that focuses on care, rehabilitation or treatment of patients. The main objectives of the above mentioned actions are- prevention of diseases, rehabilitation and maintaining good health of patients and/or general public.

ANM course trains students and make them capable of working as basic health workers. The main aim of ANM course is to train students and make them capable of taking up nursing practice in rural areas. Special focus is given towards treatment of women, children and old age people.

This doesn’t mean that ANM Diploma holders can only work in rural setup. They may work in urban setup also!

ANM is a job oriented course, using which, 12th standard passed students may enter the field of nursing. Let us check out the course details now.

Course details

It is a Diploma course, commonly just known as ANM course. Duration: The course is 2 years long (1½ years in case of some institutes). Generally, first academic phase is a year long. Second academic phase is 6 months long. 6 months are dedicated towards internship. After completing this course, successful candidates may register themselves as registered nurse or midwife with state nurse registration council.

Eligibility criteria

Age limit: A candidate must be at least 17 years of age. Candidate must not be more than 35 years of age.

Educational qualifications: According to the website of Indian Nursing Council, 10+2 Science and Arts stream passed students are the most preferred ones (please read the next paragraph also). Minimum aggregate marks required may vary from one institute to another. Usually, it is around 40-50% marks.

Important Note: It has been noticed that the educational requirement varies from one institute to another. In case of many institutes offering ANM course, the minimum educational requirement is- 10+2 passed in any stream (Science/Commerce/Arts)! So, before taking admission, enquire at the institute and make sure whether you are eligible for admission or not!

Admission process

Most institutes follow the ‘direct admission’ process. Seats are allotted to deserving applicants based on the marks scored by them in 10+2 board examination. In case of some reputed institutes, private screening tests and interviews are also used in admission process.

Syllabus

To get a better idea about the course structure, let us run through some important subjects present in this course. Note: Not all subjects have been mentioned. Important ones have been listed.

• Community Health Nursing
• Nutrition
• Environmental Sanitation
• Hygiene
• Infection and Immunization
• First Aid
• Primary Medical Care
• Communicable diseases
• Community health problems
• Child health care
• Midwifery
• Mental Health
• Health Centre Management

PG courses and further studies

ANM is a job oriented course. Still, it is just a Diploma program. There’s much more valuable GNM and Degree Nursing program out there. Completing GNM & Degree program will further boost one’s career prospects!

Not sure about how to go on and get Degree after completing this Diploma program? Relax! I’ll guide you.

After completing ANM course and getting registered with a State Nurse Registration Council, one may pursue GNM (General Nursing and Midwifery) course. On completion of GNM, one may go for B.Sc. Nursing (Post Basic). This course will lead one to a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. The course duration is 2 years (3 years in case of distance education mode).

Also read:

Nursing courses in India

GNM (General Nursing and Midwifery)

Best paramedical courses in India

After completing B.Sc. Nursing (Post Basic) course, one may go for even advanced PG programs. Some of the well known advanced PG courses are-

• M.Sc. in Nursing
• PG Diploma in Nursing
• PG Certificate in Nursing
• M.Phil. Nursing
• PhD

Using the above mentioned PG courses, one may specialize in any one of the many specialties available within the field of nursing. Specializing will help one boost career prospects and the chance of going abroad!

Career prospects and Job opportunities

ANM is a Diploma course. It doesn’t offer diverse job profiles. Handful of job profiles available in front of ANM Nurses are-

• Community Health Worker
• Home Nurse
• Health Visitor
• Basic Health Worker
• Rural Health Worker

Salary: For freshers, starting salary is around the region of 10-12k Rupees per month. This figure will rise gradually, along with work experience.

Common places/areas where one may find a job include-

• Rural Health Centres
• Government hospitals
• NGOs
• Old age homes
• Government health schemes
• Community Health Centres
• Government dispensaries

With further education, like B.Sc. Nursing (Post Basic), one may have access to diverse job profiles. Some such job profiles are-

• Chief Nursing Officer
• Assistant Nursing Officer
• Critical Care Nurse
• Paediatric Surgery Nurse
• Nurse Manager/Supervisor
• Rehabilitation Specialist

Vishnu Nambiar

I am Vishnu Nambiar a career and educational blogger from India. I am also a full time educational consultant having more than 12 years of experience in the educational sector.

I share articles related to courses, colleges, careers, exam tips and more here.