Nursing Courses in India: Details, Scope, Colleges & Admission

Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

Nursing is a noble profession. It is an important part of healthcare sector. Nurses are healthcare professionals who are capable of taking care of patients suffering from various diseases, assisting Doctors in surgery and treatment. In this article, you will be reading about nursing courses available in India, course details, eligibility criteria, career prospects and job opportunities available after completing the course.

Florence Nightingale is known as the founder of modern nursing. She changed the form and direction of nursing and thus managed to establish it as a noble and respected profession!

Nursing is a job oriented medical course. Healthcare sector is one such area, which is recession proof. No matter what’s the economic status of a nation- Developing or Developed- there is always a demand for healthcare services. Nurses are an integral part of medical profession. Along with qualified Doctors, Nurses are also in huge demand everywhere.

Especially in case of developed countries, where the recommended ratio of nurses per 1000 patients is high, demand for qualified Indian nurses is high. In case of such countries, the output (nursing graduates passing from colleges) is far less than the demand. Due to this reason, such countries regularly recruit nursing professionals from India.

In simple terms, nursing is a discipline focusing on preventing illness, caring for and bringing back to health the disabled and sick & maintaining and promoting good health in the society. Scientific knowledge, studies and practice is used to perform the above mentioned tasks. Nurses are also knowledgeable about uses of drugs & medicine, surgical procedures and may even assist Doctors directly in the above mentioned tasks.

It is a challenging task and is a satisfying one at the same time. Students, who are compassionate, willing to work for others, sacrifice personal comfort for others, comfortable with medical procedures and treatment may take up this profession. The work may involve tiring sessions and odd work schedule. But it is one such career, where one may touch and change the lives of patients.

Usually, nursing is considered as a field suitable for females. Actually male candidates may also perform well in this area. Male nurses are also in huge demand. Don’t be misguided and think that males can’t do well in this field!

INC (Indian Nursing Council) is the authority/statutory body that regulates and takes care of nursing education in India. Whichever nursing school you choose, make sure that it has been recognized by the INC.

Let us take a look at Nursing courses available in India.

List of Nursing courses in India –

Nursing courses are available in Degree, Diploma and Certification formats in India. UG (Undergraduate) and PG (Post Graduate) courses are the two main types available. Using the PG courses, one may specialize in disciplines within the medical profession.

Well known nursing courses available in India are-

• B.Sc. in Nursing (Basic)– 4 years long Bachelor’s Degree course
• B.Sc. in Nursing (Post Basic)– 2 years long Bachelor’s Degree course (3 years long in distance education mode)
• GNM (Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery)– 3.5 years long program
• ANM (Diploma in Auxiliary Nursing and Midwifery)– 2 years long program
• M.Sc. in Nursing– 2 years long PG Degree program
• M.Phil. in Nursing– 1 year long advanced program (2 years in part time format)
• PhD in Nursing– 3 to 5 years long advanced program

Other than the above mentioned standard UG (Degree and Diploma) and PG programs, there exist numerous other PG Diploma and certificate courses too. Such PG Diploma and Certificate courses help one take on different specialities. Some such well known areas of specialization are-

• Neonatal Nursing
• Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Nursing
• Operation Room Nursing
• Critical Care Nursing
• Emergency Nursing
• Neuro Science Nursing
• Nursing Administration
• Cardio-Thoracic Nursing

When it comes to such Post Graduate Diploma/Post Basic Diploma nursing courses, the duration is 1 year.

Eligibility criteria

B.Sc. Nursing (Basic)– 10+2 Science stream passed with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English subjects from a recognized board. Minimum aggregate marks required may vary from one institute to another (generally around 50% marks). Candidate must be at least 17 years of age.

GNM– 10+2 passed in any Science or Arts from a recognized board. Minimum aggregate marks required may vary from one institute to another (generally around 50% marks). Candidate must be at least 17 years of age. ANM qualification holders are also eligible to pursue this course. Note: In case of many institutes, the eligibility criteria is much more relaxed. There exist many colleges that allow 10+2 passed students from any stream (Science/Commerce/Arts) to pursue this course.

ANM– 10+2 passed in Science or Arts from a recognized board. Minimum aggregate marks required may vary from one institute to another (generally around 50% marks). Candidate must be at least 17 years of age. Note: In case of many institutes, the eligibility criteria is much more relaxed. There exist many colleges that allow 10+2 passed students from any stream (Science/Commerce/Arts) to pursue this course.

B.Sc. Nursing (Post Basic)– must be 10+ 2 passed from Science or Arts and must also have completed GNM program. Candidate must be a registered nurse with the State Nurses Registration Council.

M.Sc. Nursing– must have completed B.Sc. Nursing/Post Certificate B.Sc./Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing from an institute recognized by the INC with minimum 55% aggregate marks. Candidate should have 1 year working experience after completing the B.Sc. program and should also be a registered nurse with the State Nurse Registration Council.

M.Phil. Nursing– must have passed M.Sc. in Nursing (with any speciality) from an institute recognized by the INC with minimum 60% aggregate marks.

PG/Post Basic Diploma Nursing– must have completed B.Sc. Nursing/Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing/GNM from an institute recognized by the INC with minimum 55% aggregate marks.

Nursing colleges in India –

Here’s a list of popular nursing colleges in India –

• Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• Madurai Medical College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu
• Government College of Nursing, Alappuzha, Kerala
• Government College of Nursing, Ernakulam, Kerala
• Government College of Nursing, Kozhikode, Kerala
• Government Nursing College, Kottayam, Kerala
• Government College of Nursing, Thrissur, Kerala
• Government College of Nursing, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
• College of Nursing, Kerala Co-Op Hospital Federation Limited, Thalassery, Kerala
• Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka
• RGUHS, Bangalore, Karnataka
• KLE University, Belgaum, Karnataka
• Belgaum Institute of Medical Sciences, Belgaum, Karnataka
• Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, Maharashtra
• Government Medical College and Hospital, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
• Government Medical College, Nagpur, Maharashtra
• Government College of Nursing, Bhavnagar, Gujarat
• Government College of Nursing, Patan, Gujarat
• Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab
• Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab
• Army College of Nursing, Jalandhar, Punjab

Career prospects and job opportunities

Skilled and qualified nurses are in huge demand across the World! Specializing in lucrative disciplines will further boost one’s chance of landing a high paying job.

You may also check –

Medical Entrance exams in India

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After completing any of the above mentioned nursing course, one may register with State Nurse Registration Council and become a ‘Registered Nurse’ or ‘Registered Midwife’. After that, one may work as a nurse at Government hospitals, private hospitals, primary health centres, community health centres, rehabilitation clinics and private clinics.

Scope associated with working abroad is excellent, when it comes to nursing! The USA, UK, Gulf Countries, Australia, Canada and New Zealand are good destinations for Indian nurses. Salary package and facilities available abroad is much better than in case of India.

Common job profiles available in front of Registered Nurses are-

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

Well known recruiters include-

• Government hospitals
• Private hospitals
• Primary health centres
• Community health centres
• NGOs
• Rehabilitation clinics
• Training Colleges/Institutes

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.