General Nursing and Midwifery or GNM is a three-year and six month diploma programme designed for aspirants who want to pursue a career in clinical nursing. The programme teaches candidates how to care for individuals who are sick or have been injured in order to help them attain full recovery. Although the curriculum design of the course varies from university to university, GNM courses are designed to prepare the students for clinical approach of handling patients. The curriculum of some universities includes a six-month internship at the end of the course and the diploma is granted only after the candidates complete this internship.
Nursing aspirants can apply for the General Nursing and Midwifery programme once they have completed their class 12 exams with Biology, Chemistry and Physics as compulsory subjects.
Admissions in GNM courses are done mostly on the basis of marks secured by a candidate in class 12 exams.
Few of the institutes also conduct their own entrance exams for these courses or take students on the basis of state level diploma entrance exams.
| Anatomy and Physiology | Nutrition | Community Health Nursing |
| Psychology | Microbiolaogy | Personal and Environmental Hygiene |
| Health Education | Sociology | Fundamentals of Nursing |
| First Aid | Personal Hygiene | Environmental Hygiene |
| Pharmacology | Medical Surgical Nursing | Psychiatric Nursing |
| Medical Surgical Nursing | Medical Surgical Nursing II (Specialties) | Orthopedic Nursing |
| Communicable Diseases | Ophthalmic Nursing | Community Health Nursing |
| Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing | Computer Education | - |
| Advanced Community Health Nursing | Paediatric Nursing | Midwifery and Gynaecology |
| Community Health Nursing - II | Educational Methods and Media for Teaching in Practice of Nursing | Introduction of Research |
| Administration and Ward Management | Professional Trends and Adjustment | Health Economics |
| Internship Period | - | - |
6-month Internship
Nursing is full-time occupation and candidates who have acquired the required skills and education in the field of care-taking and nursing can take up jobs at hospitals, clinics, health departments or can work as a private health care-taker. GNM diploma holders can also take up community services and can work for NGOs that spread medical awareness or help the sick. The salaries offered after the GNM courses can vary from Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh. Some government jobs pay better packages to freshers who complete this course. Following are some of the job profiles that a GNM diploma holder can apply for:
Since GNM is a diploma programme, most of the candidates apply for advanced nursing courses after completing the GNM course in order to enhance their career prospects. There are various courses that candidates can pursue after this diploma programme including the Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery (ANM), B.Sc. in Nursing, M.Sc. in Nursing, PG Certificate in Nursing and Doctorate (Ph.D.). Job options after pursuing these courses along with GNM are better than the career options and salaries offered after the GNM alone.
Salaries offered after pursuing GNM followed by PG diploma or master courses in nursing are lucrative. Nurses working in forensics, ICU and private home care, can earn up to Rs. 4.9 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh per annum. Salaries also increase with the job profile of the nursing professional. Specialists, consultants and professors in this field get packages varying from Rs. 5.5 lakh to Rs. 9.13 lakh per annum.