Government College of Nursing, Kottayam: Admission, Courses, Fees, Placements

The Government College of Nursing, Kottayam, the oldest and premier institution, was started in 1982 at Gandhinagar, Kottayam, Kerala. This is a co-educational college, recognised by the Kerala University of Health Science, and approved by the Indian Nursing Council (INC). Located on a 4-acre land area, the college has ample of nursing courses where it offers 13 courses at three degree level. The current enrolment is 366 students whereas faculty strength is 35, and therefore ensuring a favourable student-teacher ratio. The college has well recognised nurses providing distinctive specialisation education programmes like Medical Surgical Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, and Critical Care Nursing.

Government College of Nursing, Kottayam provides number of amenities within college campus to cater the need of students on academic and personal front. It has adequate library facilities whereby the college is stocked with different nursing literature and other research information. In terms of practical training, the institution has departmental laboratory to give the practical aspect of nursing and procedures. The college also hosts Information Technology resources with which the students can update themselves with the new technologies associated with health care. For health issues there is a health centre equipped with first aid products found within the school compound. This college consists of an auditorium for occasions and seminars in the academic atmosphere. For they students, both males and female, there is the provision for hostels so that they can comfortably reside during their study years. The institution also offers transport facilities to students and staff so any issue of transport is well dealt with.

Currently, the college provides all levels of nursing education and training addressing different fields of specialisation. NU offers 13 full courses; Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Diploma courses. At present the college offers the following courses the flagship programme B.Sc Nursing for which 60 students are admitted every year and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) admission for which is 30 students per year. The college offers at the postgraduate level the M.Sc programmes in Medical Surgical Nursing with 4-6 intake, Psychiatric Nursing, Paediatric Nursing, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Nursing and Community Health Nursing. Besides, in other discipline, the college offers Post Diploma courses in Critical Care Nursing, Neurology Nursing, Cardiothoracic Nursing, Neonatal Nursing and Oncology Nursing in which 4-6 students are admitted in each course. The total enrolments offered across all the programmes offered are 366 and this clearly shows the dint of quality in offering nursing courses.

This paper seeks to analyse on how the Government College of Nursing Kottayam admissions policy for its nursing programmes is strategically designed to accept the best qualified and most spirited candidates. Though, there isn’t much information that relates to the admission process more specifically, there are numbers of admission requirements that almost every nursing college adopts and those are the score in the qualifying examination, the score in the entrance test and in some cases a meet and greet – personal interview. The admission calendar for the programmes offered by the college could be informed by the admission calendar easily by the Kerala University of Health Sciences.