ANM & GNM are the courses for aspirants who wish to build their career in the field of Nursing. ANM refers to Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery and GNM refers to General Nursing Midwifery. The two courses possess a somewhat similar application and approach. ANM & GNM courses are exclusive choices among female aspirants of Nursing. Under the course programme of ANM & GNM, the nurses are educated and are provided with training as such to provide the best health care to people who require it.

The sector of nursing is specifically focused on taking care of patients/ Individuals who need them to restore and lead a healthy life. According to the WHO, Midwives and Nurses account for about 50% of the healthcare workforce globally. They are actually the first healthcare assistant for people in an emergency. The assistance of nurses is very vital for any healthcare facility and no time more than the COVID-19 pandemic taught us the importance of nurses worldwide.

Comparative Overview of ANM & GNM

Nurses play a major role in the health promotion of individuals/ patients. They assist patients in curing diseases in critical times and also work for community care services. To pursue ANM & GNM one needs to adopt characteristics such as patience, good communication skills, good observation, dedication and passion. Apart from this, the teamwork spirit is of great value when you pursue a career in nursing. You need to be able to work as a team for the betterment of people in critical conditions and people in need.

In addition to this, if you’re someone who has a compassionate heart to work for the betterment of people and you want to work under a healthcare institution, then, ANM & GNM is the right choice for you. For candidates who want to pursue ANM & GNM, below is a piece of detailed information to guide you through these two courses. So, you can make a better career choice.

GNM (General Nursing Midwifery)

GNM is a three-year diploma programme with an internship of six months after which the students are provided with registration from a specific nursing council, thus enabling them to work in various hospitals. GNM is a diploma in general nursing and healthcare.

Although as per the Indian Nursing Council the course of GNM can now be upgraded to B.Sc. Nursing, is a four-year duration course, voluntarily. This is done to enhance the quality of nursing education in India. You can read the detailed notification regarding the same, here. A section of this notification is also depicted below.

Eligibility Criteria for GNM

Qualification

Age Eligibility – Minimum age to apply for GNM is 17 years and the maximum age to apply is 30 years.

ANM (Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery)

ANM is a two-year diploma programme with six months of internship, included in the course programme. It is basically a short-term nursing program focused on delivering skills to the students to help them become better nurses in future. After getting registration from the respective nursing council, the student gains eligibility to work in various hospitals. The course of ANM is available as a Full time as well as a Part-time course option. Institutions such as IGNOU offers a part-time course in ANM.

Under ANM, nurses are qualified with skills such as equipment Knowledge, record maintenance and timely medications. Treating old aged, women, children etc. and improving the health of people. ANM nurses are basically trained for all types of healthcare services.

Eligibility Criteria for ANM

Qualifications – To pursue ANM aspirants need to have completed 10th standard or 10+2 with Science or Art stream with minimum marks of 40%- 50%. NIOS students are also eligible to pursue a career in nursing through ANM.

Age Eligibility– To pursue ANM minimum age required is 17 years and the maximum age is 35 years.