Nursing Education in India: ANM, GNM, BSN, BSc, MSc, PhD

Nursing Education in India is fast coming of age. There is a huge requirement to be met in India as it faces an acute shortage of nursing staff with an estimated deficit of 20 lac nurses.

There are 2 main ways to train as a nurse in India. There is a very popular 3 year diploma training in Schools of Nursing to become a General Nurse Midwife or also called GNM. Majority of the students opt for this training.

A minority go for a  4 year training course in a College of Nursing, usually affiliated to a University; this course is known as a BSc degree, called BSN. Both GNM and BSc training are pre-registration courses. In other words, these are required to register as a nurse in India.

Apart from the pre-registration courses described above, University Colleges of Nursing also have post-registration BSc courses and MSc courses. Then there is a national consortium of 5 universities, formed in 2005 which provides a collaborative nursing PhD programme.

There is another very popular course in nursing, which is of a duration of two years and can be taken after class 10. This is the Auxiliary Nurse Training Program or ANM program.

Types of Nursing Programs in India

Eligibility Criteria for nursing courses in India

ANM

·         Minimum age is 17 years on or before 31st December of the year of admission.

·         Maximum age for admission is 35 years.

·         Minimum educational requirements shall be 10 + 2 from recognized boards including NIOS

·         Admission is once a year.

GNM

·         Minimum age of 17 years on or before 31st December of the admission year.

·         For registered ANM nurses, there is no age bar.

·         Maximum age for admission is 35 years.

·         Minimum educational requirements shall be 10 + 2 from recognized boards including NIOS

·         English with 40% pass marks

·         Registered ANM nurses with pass marks

BSc Nursing

·         Minimum age of 17 years on or before 31st December is required for the admission year

·         10+2 class passed with Science (PCB) & English Core/English Elective with aggregate of 45% marks from recognized boards

·         10+2 with science organised by National Institute of Open School with minimum 45% marks.

·         Admission is once a year

Post Basic BSc Nursing

·         10+2 board exam or any other recognized by the university.

·         Nurses who passed 10+1 in or before 1986.

·         Certificate in General Nursing and Midwifery; registered as RNRM. with the State Nurses Registration Council. 

·         (Male gender nurse, who has gained training before the implementation of the new integrated course besides being registered as a nurse with State Nurses Registration Council, will have to produce evidence of training approved by Indian Nursing Council to replace midwifery)

·         Admissions once in a year.

MSc Nursing

·         Registered Nurse and midwife or equivalent with any Nursing Registration Council of a state. 

·         Minimum education is B.Sc. Nursing/B.Sc. Hons. Nursing/Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing with minimum of 55% aggregate marks.

·         Minimum one year of work required after Basic B.Sc. Nursing is required

·         Minimum one year of work required prior or after Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing is required.

Some of the best Nursing Colleges in India

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh
West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS), Kolkota
Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Manipal
Christian Medical College, Vellore
Christian Medical College, Ludhiana
Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Chennai
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi
Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune
Army College of Nursing, Jalandhar
 

Admission process to Nursing Courses in India

Nursing admission is not very uniform and depends from state to state. It is also dependant on the course chosen to pursue. Usually it is direct admission in ANM courses, based on the merit list from the qualifying exam. GNM admissions could be direct or based on a state or university exam. 

BSc and MSc admissions are usually as per entrance exams conducted by the state or the University. Some of these entrance exams are all-India in character. Majority of them are however state or college specific. PhD admissions are usually based on merit and interview as well as years of experience, but there may be an entrance exam.

Top Entrance Exams for BSc Nursing in India

Nursing Education in India also depends upon rules and regulation of each state in India. It is always wise to read up about nursing admissions in the state you want to do your nursing degree.