A B.Sc. or M.Sc. in nursing is an essential requirement for those who wish to serve as nurses.
The levels of functioning that at the course of her career are:

· Ward Sister
· Tutor
· Senior Nursing Superintendent
· Matron

Training


Due to the complexity of skills and advanced knowledge required, formal training, both practical and theoretical, is essential for a career in nursing.

A large number of institutions in India now offer diploma graduate and postgraduate courses in nursing, as well as midwifery courses. Nursing colleges in some states like Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala are open exclusively to candidates domiciled there. However admissions on a national level are open at many others institutions such as:

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College of Nursing, New Delhi The Leelabai Thakersey College of Nursing (SNDT), Mumbai. The Armed Forces Medical College, Pune; College of Nursing Jaipur; and the College of Nursing, Ludhiana. Other nursing colleges in Annamalainagar, Bangalore Calcutta and Vellore keep some seats open for admission on an all-India basis. 

Eligibility

There are three kinds of programmes from which prospective nurses may choose. Eligibility criteria for admission to these are:

B.Sc. NURSING: 10+2 with biology, physics, chemistry.

GENERAL NURSING & MIDWIFERY (GNM): lO+2 with biology physics, chemistry.

AUXILIARY NURSE MIDWIFE (ANM): Class X pass.

HEALTH WORKER (FEMALE): class X pass.

Training periods vary with different institutions and the courses they offer. Approximate duration of various basic nursing courses are as follows:

B.Sc. Nursing: between three and four years.
GNM, General Nursing & Midwifery: three years and six months.
ANM, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife/Health Worker: 18 months.

Academic Programme

B.Sc. Nursing

In the B.Sc. course, nurses are provided with basic knowledge about nursing, first-aid and midwifery. They are trained in all the theoretical as well as practical aspects as of nursing.

GNM, General Nursing & Midwifery: The purpose of this programme is to prepare general nurses who function as members of the health team, to hold first-level positions in both the hospital and the health team.

ANM, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife/Health Worker: These workers are specially trained to look after the health needs of people living in the rural areas, particularly mothers and children.

PRESSURES

This is an emotionally demanding job, involving long periods of strenuous work, averaging forty-four to sixty hours per week. The work environment is both physically and mentally taxing, and nurses are often exposed to health risks from infectious diseases, dangers of ionizing radiations from X-rays and other radiation based tests, as well as anesthetic substances that they handle in the course of their duties Nurses in India are also not as well paid as they are in developed countries.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Compassion, a need to help people, good health, common sense, a practical bent of mind, objectivity, sympathy for the sick and the old without sentimentality, an interest in medicine, the ability to think clearly in crises, flexibility, patience, ability to get on with all kinds of people, good team spirit, keen powers of observation initiative, a sense of responsibility, willingness to perform what many consider menial tasks, ability to understand and follow instructions, willingness to work hard, a sense of humor.