Nursing Services are very important in a hospital. Nursing is one of the noblest professions in the world. Nurses work along with the doctors in hospitals in operation theatres, wards and in the care of the sick people. This profession requires love and a mind for service of the sick, needy, injured, convalescing mothers, new-borns and sometimes the mentally challenged people also. The nursing profession calls for tremendous patience, responsibility and dedication.

Nursing is not a second option for those who could not get into the Medical Schools. This profession is for people with different goals other than being a medical professional. A nurse in a hospital must keep a good and healthy relationship with the patients. They should behave well and care the patients who comes to the hospital. So nursing career aspirants should have a caring personality. The job requires alertness of mind, team spirit, tact, compassion etc. One should also be physically fit, in peak health for the job involves a lot of hard work.


Now a days, nursing is a sought after profession for many. The courses in nursing provides very good job opportunities in India and abroad. A large number of institutes and hospitals offers courses in Nursing in India. There are about 500 nurses training centers in India. All of them together admit nearly 10,000 students every year. The minimum age of admission is seventeen years.

Nursing Courses offered in Indian Nursing Colleges and eligibility criteria :

B.Sc Nursing: This is a 3 to 4 years course. This course provide basic knowledge about nursing, first-aid and midwifery. The students are trained in all the theoretical as well as practical aspects of nursing. The eligibility for this course is 10+2 with Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

M.Sc Nursing: Eligibility for this post-graduate course is B.Sc. Nursing. The course is of 2 years duration.


General Nursing & Midwifery (GNM): GNM programme is to prepare general nurses who function as members of the health team, to hold first-level positions in both the hospitals and other such places. This is a 3 and a half year program after 10+2 with Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

Auxiliary Nurse Midwife/ Health Worker (ANM): The ANM Course gives training for the aspirants on how to take care of the health realted problems in rural areas especially children, mothers and old aged people. The ANM course is of 18 months duration and the eligibility for admission is 10th standard.

Military Nursing : Females who are unmarried or divorced legally separated and widows without encumbrances may opt for the four year BSc (Nursing / three-year probationary nursing course conducted at various armed forces hospitals in India. Those selected to the course have to execute a bond to serve in the Military Nursing Services (MNS) for five / four years, respectively.

During training all candidates will be provided free ration, furnished accommodation, uniform allowance and a monthly stipend. Applicants should be between 17 and 24 years of age and should have completed plus two or equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry and Biology with atlest 45 percent marks and be medically fit. Selection to the course is made on the basis of a written examination of the objective type comprising general English biology and General intelligence followed by an interview of candidates successful in the written examination.

Placement prospects for qualified nurses : All qualified nurses have to get themselves registered. After the successful completion of training, a nurse should register her name with the State's Nurses Council to be eligible for employment. The following are the career prospects for the qualified nurses. They can work as :

* Hospital Nurses : Hospital nurses form the largest group of nurses. Hospital nurses are usually assigned to any special area of work such as surgery, maternity, intensive care, pediatrics, obstetric, rehabilitative etc.

* Psychiatric Nurses :This option involves working with mentally challenged person and this requires special dedication towards work and patience. Theses nurses generally work in coordination with the psychiatrists, doctors and other specialists.

* Pediatric Nurses: This is associated with taking care of sick children and babies. These nurses should have love and affection towards children to excel in their field of work.

* Orthopaedic Nurses: This requires a knowledge of physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

* Industrial Nurses/ Occupational Health Nurses : They work under the direction of the industrial physicians and assist in taking preventive safety measures. They provide emergency care at the time of accidents taking place inside the industrial premises.

* Educators: This field combines nursing with the teaching of students of nursing and administration of educational programmes.

* Military Nurses: Provide health care services in armed forces.

Nursing Career Abroad : The demand for qualified nurses from India are increasing in USA, Europe, Gulf and other countries. Indian nurses have earned a good name in other countries for their skills and dedication towards work. For entering into USA as a nurse, you need to take the CGFNS certification. You should get your qualification and credential evaluated. Then you need to pass the English test also.

There is also a growing demand for nurses, both male and female in countries abroad where the numbers of single, elderly, and incapacitated patients is increasing. As the training provided in India is considered on a par with international standards, there are plenty of employment avenues for nurses in the Far East, West Asia, Australia and the United States of America.

Indian Nursing Council : The Indian Nursing Council is a statutory body constituted under the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947. The Council is responsible for regulation and maintenance of a uniform standard of training for Nurses, Midwives, Auxiliary Nurse-Midwives and Health Visitors. The Council prescribes the syllabus and regulations for various nursing courses.

Popular Nursing Institutes in India :

There are around 850 schools and 170 colleges of nursing in India. Admission to the following institutes are on the basis of an All - India admission test.

*All-India Institute Medical Sciences, New Delhi
*Jamia Hamdard College of Nursing, New Delhi
*Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College of Nursing, New Delhi
*College of Nursing, Ludhiana
*College of Nursing, JIPMER, Chandigarh
*Armed Forces Medical College, Pune
*College of Nursing, SMS Medical College, Jaipur

You can find Colleges offering Nursing in Kerala at the following link : http://www.zonkerala.com/Education/Nursing-Colleges/