From Library Walls to AIIMS Wards: The Untold Struggle of a Nursing Officer
By Anil Shekhisar
A white coat. A stethoscope. The responsibility of saving lives. From the outside, it looks so glamorous. But the story behind it is written with blood, loans, and silent tears.
For every student dreaming of AIIMS NORCET, this is not just an exam. This is a 4 to 6 year war. A war where your youth, your family's money, and your mental health are all at stake.
1. The Foundation: 4 Years of B.Sc Nursing Hell
The struggle starts right after 12th. B.Sc Nursing is not like other degrees.
Classes from 8 AM to 5 PM. Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology... you have to mug up everything. And after that, straight to hospital posting. 8 hours with patients. Night duties. Emergency cases.
100+ practical files. 80% attendance is compulsory. While other college students are enjoying, nursing students at 18-19 are already handling ICUs, dead bodies, and trauma.
2. Stage One: The Library Becomes Your Home
"If I go home for 2 days, 10,000 people will go ahead of me."
With this thought, you miss Diwali, Holi, weddings, everything.
12 to 14 hours of studying every single day. If you score 1 mark less in a mock test, you don't sleep that night. It's just you and your books. This loneliness eats you from inside.
3. The Debt of Coaching Fees
Without coaching, selection is almost impossible. But the cost will break you.
Coaching: 40,000 to 80,000 per year
Hostel + Food: 6,000 to 10,000 per month
Total: 1.5 Lakh to 2 Lakh in one year
Families take loans. Parents cut their own expenses. And there is still zero guarantee of selection.
4. The Biggest Pain: 75% Girls, 25% Boys
After all this hard work, there are only 1500 to 3000 seats for all AIIMS combined.
75% seats are only for Female Candidates.
25% seats are only for Male Candidates.
If there are 2000 seats, only 500 are for boys. And 1 lakh boys are fighting for those 500 seats.
That is why the cutoff for boys goes 15-20 marks higher. Miss by 0.5 marks and you lose 1 more year. 1 more year of loan. 1 more year of taunts.
5. Stage Two: The Struggle Doesn't End After Selection
Even after you get the job, the pain doesn't stop.
Posting 2000 KM away from home. Delhi, Bhopal, Rishikesh.
Diwali, Holi, New Year... all go by on duty.
12-hour night shifts. ICU pressure. Watching patients die.
While you are saving other people's parents, you can't be there for your own.
6. Key Facts Every Aspirant Must Know
Full Name: NORCET - Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test
Conducted By: AIIMS New Delhi
Total Vacancies: Around 2000 to 3000
Seat Ratio: 75% Female, 25% Male
Eligibility: B.Sc Nursing + Registration, OR GNM + 2 years experience
Exam Pattern: 200 Questions, 200 Marks, 3 Hours. -1/3 negative
Starting Salary: 75,000 to 95,000 per month + allowances
"This struggle is a salute to all those hands that burn themselves out to bring light into other people's lives."
The day your nameplate says "Nursing Officer, AIIMS"... all the loans, all the insults, and that 0.5 mark heartbreak... everything turns into tears of pride.
0 Comments