Nursing career through General Nursing and Midwifery courses in India
Are you interested to pursue a diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) course for making a satisfying career in the healthcare and medical industry? Find here the related information and details about this course.
Introduction
Medical Science and allied services is a major area which has immense potential for making a career even in today's tough job environment. In a highly populated country like India, there is a need for more health professionals in Govt as well as private organisations and there is good absorption of trained nurses in the hospitals, companies, and organisations related to the medical industry.
There are various types of courses related to Nursing stream and some of these courses are Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM), Diploma in Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery (ANM), B.Sc. Nursing etc and a student after doing his 10+2 can pursue these courses for making a career in this area. Out of these courses, GNM is one of the most popular and common ones. Health and medical industry is expanding at a great pace and is having a large capacity to absorb the nursing trained persons. Even, foreign countries are taking them as per their need. Many trained nurses from India are already working abroad. In such a situation, it makes sense to consider nursing as a viable and lucrative career option.
Generally, after completing class XII, students desire and aspire for becoming doctor and attempt for NEET entrance examination. But there is a very tough competition in NEET and the intake in medical colleges is much less than the number of candidates which appear in this entrance exam and it is obvious that only a few of the top-ranking candidates will be selected for the admissions in the medical courses like MBBS. So, instead of going through that cycle of rejection and failure why not to attempt the nursing course which is in the same area and equally satisfying as an engaging career. Eligibility
There are many nursing course institutions in our country delivering various categories of nursing courses. The basic eligibility for many of these courses is generally class XII pass and in some of the courses, it does not matter from which stream one has completed one's class XII. The students who have completed their senior secondary education even with non-science subjects like Arts or Commerce are also eligible to apply for some of the nursing courses. However, for the GNM course 10+2 from Science stream is essential and is one of the main eligibility condition. Some institutes insist on having 50% marks in the 10+2 while others take simply 10+2 pass candidates. Course duration and deliverables
The GNM course is generally of 3-1/2 years duration including 6 months internship program also at the end of the course. Some institutes offer courses for 4 years also. The students learn many topics in medical science and nursing in addition to some general nature subjects like Sociology, Environment, Basic Computer Skills, and Communication. The learning in medical subjects broadly covers topics like Anatomy and Physiology, Nutrition and Biochemistry, Nursing Foundation, Physiology, Microbiology, Surgical Nursing, Pathology, Pharmacology, Child Health, Mental Health, Midwifery and Obstetric, and Community Health. The main objective of this course is to prepare the student for the clinical approach in handling the patients.Some colleges for GNM course in India
Due to a large number of the requirement of nursing persons, there are many institutes/colleges in India which provide this course and some of these colleges are as follows -Admissions and Fees
Admissions are generally based on the merit of the qualifying exam that is class XII. Some institutes conduct their own entrance examination but others take students qualifying in the state-level nursing entrance examination. Some of the popular entrance examinations are AIIMS Nursing Entrance Exam, BHU Nursing Entrance Exam, JIPMER Nursing Entrance Exam, IGNOU Open net Exam, RUHS Nursing Entrance Exam etc.
There is a big variation in fees from institution to institution. The range of fees varies from about Rs 30000 per year to Rs 2.5 lakhs per year.Career Options and Job Prospects
Nursing is a responsible and devoted job line and requires dedication and an urge and commitment to serve the suffering and ailing people. There are many career opportunities for trained nurses in the health and medical industry. Right from a Govt department or Hospital to an NGO, there are ample positions offered to the trained nurses. There is a steady demand for nurses in a large number of private clinics across the country. Some of the common positions that a trained nurse is offered are Health Care Nurse, Staff Nurse, Home Care Nurse, Community Health Worker, Clinical Nurse, Nursing Assistant, Forensic Nurse, Nursing Tutor, Pharmacy Assistant, Medical Research Assistant etc.
Those who want to excel in the nursing career and yearn for higher positions in the nursing ladder can alternatively also think of pursuing Graduation / Post Graduation in the nursing stream and after that more job opportunities at the higher level will be available to them. There is good demand for the nurses in many foreign countries and the trained nurses can definitely explore that option also.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the scope of nurses abroad?
For nurses from India there is good scope abroad especially in countries like like Canada, USA, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.Can a nurse from India go to any country to work?
No. One has to check the safety and security of women in a particular country before taking that decision.