On the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, every year International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12. Florence Nightingale was an English nurse who was born on the same date in the year 1820. She is considered to be the founder of modern nursing. She had influenced health care by serving the soldiers during the Crimean War. Thus, to honour her role in serving humanity International Nurses Day is celebrated. But how does one becomes a nurse? Let us explore eligibility, criteria and complete career guide to become a nurse in India.

This year, International Nurses Day is more significant as the health care workers are continuously providing immense care to everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic. As per the Zee News report, till 31 December 2020, more than 1.6 million healthcare workers have been infected by a coronavirus in 34 countries, according to the International Council of Nurses (ICN). World Health Organization (WHO) stated, “Nurses account for more than half of all the world's health workers, yet there is an urgent shortage of nurses worldwide with 5.9 million (2020) more nurses still needed, especially in low and middle-income countries."

Nursing is considered to be one of the noblest professions. They work closely with doctors and other healthcare workers. Now, if you want to take up nursing as a profession, then you must know the eligibility, criteria to become a nurse.

Skills to Become a Nurse

  • It is important to have good communication skills as nurses have to constantly deal with the patients and health care staff.

  • Helping nature and compassion required to understand the pain and suffering of others.

  • Confidence, sound nursing knowledge, ability to work in a team, eye for detail, ethics are other qualities to be considered to become a successful nurse.

Types of Nurse Job Roles

After achieving the required educational qualification, there are a number of job profiles for nurses that can be attained. Here we have listed the popular job profiles for nurses.

  • Registered Nurse (RN)

  • Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN

  • Nurse Practitioner (NP)

  • Travel Nurse

  • Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Registered Nurse

  • Operating Room (OR) Nurse

  • Home Health Nurse

  • Clinical Nurse Specialist

Eligibility Criteria to Become a Nurse

  • Candidates must have passed 12th standard from a recognised institution with PCB (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) as major subjects. However, candidates who want to pursue diploma courses must have passed Class 12 with any combination of subjects.

  • The basic requirement is to have a minimum of 45 percent marks in 10+2 or equivalent (may vary from colleges to colleges).

  • Candidates who want to pursue courses like Midwife and Auxiliary Nursing can apply with a passing certificate of Class 10 with an aggregate of at least 50 percent from a recognised institution.

  • For admission in undergraduate, diploma, postgraduate, and Ph.D. courses, a valid mark sheet of entrance exam for nursing course is compulsory

  • For getting employed, registering oneself with State Nursing Council is an important prerequisite.

We hope this article will help you to choose the right specialization to build a career as a nurse. Here's wishing all the nurses Happy International Nurses Day 2021!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 12, 2021 01:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).