The Indian Nursing Council (INC) has implemented new regulations for the “Indian Nursing Council {Nurse Practitioner in Anesthesia (NPA) – Postgraduate Residency Program}” program. These regulations aim to standardize and improve the quality of NPA education in India. These regulations were published on January 17, 2025.
Program Overview
- Designed to equip nurses with expertise in anesthesia nursing.
- Enables graduates to function as Nurse Practitioners in Anesthesia, educators, managers, and researchers in the field.
- Two-year postgraduate residency program with a focus on competency-based training.
- Curriculum includes core courses, advanced practice courses, clinical courses, and a major clinical practicum component
Program Goals
- Prepare registered B.Sc. nurses for advanced practice roles in anesthesia.
- Lead to a Master of Science in Nursing (Nurse Practitioner in Anesthesia) degree.
Program Objectives
- Conduct pre-anesthetic patient assessments in various healthcare settings.
- Demonstrate competence in preparing, administering, and discontinuing anesthesia with supervision.
- Ensure patient safety throughout the peri-anesthetic period.
- Monitor vital signs and interpret readings.
- Operate various anesthesia equipment.
- Manage patients in anesthesia settings to stabilize and restore health (independently or collaboratively).
- Manage pain and prevent peri-anesthetic complications.
- Liaise with patients, families, and relevant healthcare teams.
Requirements for Institutions Offering the NPA Program
- Obtain an Essentiality Certificate/Government Order from the State
- Have a parent hospital/tertiary care center with a minimum of 200 beds, fully functional operating rooms, and ICUs.
- Preferably have a medical college or nursing college attached to the parent hospital.
- Possess a minimum of 10 operating beds/tables (including at least two for major surgeries) and corresponding ICUs.
- Maintain appropriate nurse staffing ratios in operating rooms and post-anesthesia care units (PACUs).
- Employ qualified faculty and staff, including nursing and medical preceptors, and teaching faculty with postgraduate nursing qualifications and experience.
- Provide adequate physical and learning resources, including classrooms, skills labs, library facilities, and e-learning resources.
- Maintain a list of required equipment for operating rooms and ICUs
Student Admission Requirements
- Registered B.Sc./P.B.B.Sc. nurse with a minimum of one year of clinical experience in operating theatres/ICUs.
- B.Sc. Nursing degree from an institution approved by the INC.
- Minimum of 55% aggregate marks in the B.Sc. Nursing program.
- Physical fitness
Salary
In-service candidates (already employed by the institution) will receive their regular salary. Other candidates will receive a stipend/salary based on the hospital’s salary structure.
These new regulations establish a national framework for NPA programs in India. This will ensure consistency in program quality, preparing future Nurse Practitioners in Anesthesia to deliver high-quality patient care.
