Careers in Nursing

Nursing is an integral part of medical care system. It is the art of caring sick people with the science of health care and believed to be one of the noblest jobs in the world. This domain of work is particularly women specific. At the initial level, nurses are required for the bedside care of patients. At the senior level they are required to manage special group of people like psychiatric, pediatric, intensive care patients etc which require specialised skills. Besides these they are also involved in dispensing medication, keeping records of the patients’ progress, setting up and operating medical equipment, administration and several other routine works.

Course Details
One should complete the nursing courses to start a career in nursing. The major courses are B. Sc Nursing, General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM), M.Sc. Nursing, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife/Health Worker (ANM). For B.Sc. Nursing eligibility is 10+2 with Biology, Physics and Chemistry. The duration of this course is 3 to 4 years. M.Sc. Nursing (Duration is 2 years) can be done only after B.Sc. Nursing course. The eligibility for GNM course (Duration 3 1/2 years) is 10+2 with biology, physics and chemistry. However 10th pass is the only qualification for ANM course which is of 18 months duration.

Career Prospects
There are wide employment opportunities for B.Sc. /M.Sc. Nursing/GNM/ANM Degree holders in public as well private sector. They can seek a job in Govt. run hospitals, primary health care centres, dispensaries and health projects and scheme run by government departments. They can also be employed in schools, Orphanages and old age homes. In private sectors nursing homes, clinics are also open to them. They are also recruited by Military, Railways department for their departmental hospitals. They can also aspire to be getting employed in industrial houses and factories. Besides these they can opt for teaching in training institutes as educators.

Top Colleges Offering UG/PG/Other Courses
There are thousands of institutes both in public as well in privates sector that offer B.Sc/M.Sc. Nursing/GNM/ANM courses. A few names are given below. Chhattisgarh; Mother Teresa College of Nursing, Durg, Chhattisgarh; JG College of Nursing, Ahmedabad, Gujarat; Srinivasarao College of Pharmacy, Visakhapatnam; Asian Institute of Nursing Education, Gauhati; Post Graduate College of Nursing, Gwalior; Florence School of Nursing, Ranchi; Jeevan Jyoti School of Nursing, Jamshedpur; Smt Janaki Rani Talwar School of Nursing, Delhi; School of Nursing Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi; Rufaida College of Nursing, Delhi and Christian Hospital, Yamunanagar.

Remuneration
Nurses employed by government hospitals receive a monthly salary of Rs 6,500 to Rs 10,000. Those working for private hospitals or the military receive a slightly higher remuneration. Private Nurses have a fixed daily fee. Midwives receive above 4,000 per month approximately, plus a fixed amount per birth registered. Health workers receive between Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000 per month. Nurses employed in Defense services and Railways have higher salaries than those of employed in govt. hospitals. Nurses going abroad are getting very high salaries in foreign currency. Those employed in orphanage, old age home and schools have good earning.