Nursing Jobs in India

Nursing jobs are on the increase with the expansion of the healthcare industry. Hospitals, nursing homes, private clinics, schools, industries, healthcare clinics, old age homes, NGOs, and the military employ nurses. To succeed in the nursing profession, one has to be calm and composed, be of a cheerful disposition and be service-minded and go through the required training from a registered institute. After acqurng the basic qualification, there is mandatory practical training under the supervision of seniors before being appointed as full-fledged nurses.

The biggest employer of nurses are hospitals – Government hospitals, private hospitals, missionary hospitals - where many general nurses will be required to work in a round- the-clock environment and working in shifts is only to be expected. The job of a nurse is very demanding and requires putting in at least 8 to 10 hours of work each day.

The routine duties of a nurse is to assist the doctors when they come on visits and maintain the record of temperature, BP, pulse rate etc of patients regularly or as advised by the doctor. It is the duty of the nurses to change dressings and to administer medicines to patients. Nurses also assist doctors in the operation theater. There are a large number of institutes in India that offer diploma, graduate and postgraduate courses in nursing as well as midwifery courses.

B.Sc Nursing is a 3-year and in some institutions a 4-year course. This course provides 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 is a post-graduate course Nursing. The course is of 2 years duration.

General Nursing & Midwifery (GNM) is to prepare general nurses who function as members of the health team, to hold first-level positions in both the hospitals and other healthcare institutions. This is a 3-year program post Standard XII with Biology, Physics and Chemistry. Auxiliary Nurse Midwife/ Health Worker (ANM) is a course that provides training for the aspirants on how to take care of the health-related problems in rural areas especially children, mothers and aged people. The ANM course is of 18 months duration and the eligibility for admission is 10th standard. Military Nursing is a specialized 4-year curse meant for women who are unmarried, divorced, legally separated and widows without encumbrances. Those admitted to the course have to execute a bond to serve in the Military Nursing Services (MNS) for a prescribed period of five years.

Even during the training period, military nursing 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 at least 45 percent marks and be medically fit.

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.

There are about 500 nursing course colleges/institutions/training centers in India and all of them together admit more than 10,000 students every year. All qualified nurses have to get themselves registered. After the successful completion of training, a nurse should register his/her name with the State's Nurses Council to be eligible for employment.

At the initial level, nurses are required for the bedside care of patients in the general ward, maternity wards to operating theaters. As they progress in their careers, they will be required to manage special group of people like psychiatric, pediatric, intensive care patients etc which require specialized skills. How far a nurse can advance in his/her career depends on the basic qualifications and the type of experience gathered and the institution one serves. Given the nature of job there are more female nurses than men, though male nurses are also in demand in many hospitals.

Remuneration of nurses depends on the basic qualification and the level of seniority reached. Nurses employed by government hospitals are paid a monthly salary of Rs 7000 to Rs 10000. Those working for private hospitals or the military hospitals receive a higher remuneration. Midwives can expect a salary of Rs 4,000 per month, plus a fixed amount per birth registered. Health workers receive between Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000 per month.

Nursing, a profession that recalls the name of Florence Nightingale, is indeed one of the noblest professions in the world. The largest group of employees in the health sector is those in the nursing occupations as nurses and nursing assistants. This is one of the few professions that is mostly dominated by women.