NIMS COLLEGE OF NURSING

The College of Nursing, Trivandrum, Kerala, India, founded in 1972, is the pioneer institute for nursing education in Kerala and one of the earliest in South East Asia. It comes under the Directorate of Medical Education, Government of Kerala, and is affiliated to the University of Kerala and the Kerala University of Health Sciences. It began in 1943 as a school of nursing offering diploma courses, and was elevated to a college with bachelor programs in 1963, the first of its kind in Kerala. It remained a department under Government Medical College Trivandrum before becoming an autonomous entity under the DME. The college has offered postgraduate programs since 1987, with four PG specialties: medical-surgical nursing, paediatric nursing, obstetrical and gynaecological nursing, and community health nursing. It is the only center in Kerala offering doctoral studies in nursing. Admission was historically restricted for male students but is now open without restriction, and admissions are based on Higher Secondary School Certificate marks rather than entrance exam ranks. The undergraduate program capacity increased from 60 to 75 seats in 2008. The college has also engaged in international exchange programs with institutions such as Loma Linda University, Karolinska Institute, and West Chester University.