General Information

The Certificate in Nursing Care Assistant is a one-year paramedical training programme offered by Mahatma Gandhi Ayurvigyan Vidyapeeth. The course introduces students to essential healthcare support skills, including patient hygiene, vital signs monitoring, infection control, and fundamental nursing procedures. Through foundational theory in anatomy and practical clinical exposure, learners develop competencies required to assist medical professionals effectively in institutional healthcare environments.

1. Course Duration: 1 Year
2. Minimum Qualification: 10th standard pass or equivalent
3. Course Category: PARAMEDICAL
4. Total Marks: 600 (Theory 600, 6 subjects)

Course Objectives

• Impart fundamental knowledge of human anatomy, physiology, and basic healthcare concepts.
• Train students in measuring, recording, and reporting vital signs accurately during clinical care.
• Develop competencies in patient hygiene, bed making, mobility assistance, and daily care routines.
• Teach standard infection control measures, sterilization protocols, and routine nursing assistant procedures.

Learning Outcomes

• Measure and record vital signs accurately in accordance with standard clinical protocols.
• Assist patients with daily personal hygiene, comfort, feeding, and basic mobility needs safely.
• Apply standard infection control techniques and maintain clean, sterile patient care environments.
• Perform foundational nursing support tasks under the direct supervision of registered medical staff.
• Recognize physiological changes in patients and report observations promptly to supervising nurses.

Pass & Division Criteria

The maximum marks and minimum pass marks of Theory and Practical of each subject are given in the Mark Distribution table below. To pass, a candidate must score the minimum pass marks separately in both Theory and Practical of every subject.

The division is decided on the aggregate percentage of marks obtained, as follows —

Mark Distribution

Total marks of the course : 600

Detailed Syllabus

1. Introduction to Human Body — Introduction to structural organization, anatomical terms, cavities, and basic cell and tissue structures of the human body.
2. Musculoskeletal System — Study of bones, joints, major muscles, axial and appendicular skeleton, cartilage functions, and posture mechanics relevant to movement.
3. Cardiovascular System — Anatomy of the heart, blood vessels, circulation pathways, composition of blood, and physiological mechanism of cardiac pumping.
4. Respiratory System — Structure of nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs, alveoli, and mechanism of respiration and pulmonary gas exchange.
5. Digestive System — Organs of the alimentary canal, accessory digestive glands, processes of digestion, food absorption, and elimination of wastes.
6. Urinary System — Structure and functional units of kidneys, nephrons, ureters, bladder, urethra, and the physiological process of urine formation.
7. Nervous System and Sense Organs — Organization of central and peripheral nervous systems, brain regions, spinal cord, reflex action, and sensory organ functions.
8. Endocrine System — Major endocrine glands, location, hormone secretions, and homeostatic regulation of growth, metabolism, and body stress responses.
9. Reproductive System — Anatomy of male and female reproductive organs, gametogenesis, basic menstrual cycle physiology, and fundamental reproductive functions.
10. Integumentary and Lymphatic Systems — Structure of skin layers, sweat glands, lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, spleen, and basic physiological mechanisms of immunity.

1. Principles of Personal Hygiene — Concept of personal cleanliness, hygiene importance in patient recovery, psychological benefits, and nurse assistant's ethical duties.
2. Bed Bathing Techniques — Procedures for complete and partial bed baths, bathing equipment preparation, privacy maintenance, and gentle skin drying methods.
3. Oral Hygiene and Dental Care — Care of mouth and teeth in conscious, unconscious, and geriatric patients, denture cleaning, and oral lesion prevention.
4. Hair, Nail, and Shaving Care — Techniques of hair washing in bed, pediculosis management, finger and toenail grooming, and safe facial shaving procedures.
5. Pressure Ulcer Prevention — Identification of pressure points, skin assessment scales, frequent turning schedules, use of air mattresses, and back massage.
6. Bed Making Procedures — Preparation of open, closed, occupied, and surgical beds, linen handling, corners miter techniques, and ergonomic posture principles.
7. Perineal and Elimination Care — Assisting with bedpans and urinals, perineal wash for male and female patients, incontinence management, and hygiene maintenance.
8. Patient Comfort and Positioning — Use of comfort devices, positioning patients in Fowler, supine, prone, lateral, and Trendelenburg positions safely.
9. Environmental Cleanliness and Sanitization — Maintenance of patient unit hygiene, disinfection of bedside furniture, proper ventilation, odor elimination, and utility cleaning protocols.

1. Introduction to Vital Signs — Significance of vital signs, physiological baseline concepts, indications for measurement, recording guidelines, and clinical reporting norms.
2. Body Temperature Assessment — Physiology of thermoregulation, temperature sites, types of clinical thermometers, measurement steps, fever types, and hypothermia care.
3. Pulse Rate and Characteristics — Physiology of pulse, arterial sites, pulse measurement techniques, assessment of rate, rhythm, volume, and recognizing abnormal variations.
4. Respiration Assessment — Mechanism of breathing, counting respiratory rates, observing rhythm and depth, recognizing dyspnea, apnea, Cheyne-Stokes breathing, and recording.
5. Blood Pressure Measurement — Principles of arterial blood pressure, equipment parts, cuff selection, auscultatory and palpatory methods, and identifying hypertension and hypotension.
6. Pulse Oximetry and Oxygen Saturation — Concept of peripheral oxygen saturation, handling pulse oximeter probes, normal values, monitoring hypoxemia, and reporting urgent drops.
7. Pain Assessment as Fifth Vital Sign — Use of visual and numerical pain scales, evaluating intensity, site, duration, assisting non-pharmacological relief, and reporting distress.
8. Documentation and Graphic Charting — Methods of recording vital parameters in hospital charts, temperature-pulse-respiration graph plotting, computer data entry, and alert protocols.
9. Recognition of Clinical Emergencies — Identifying abnormal vital signs indicative of shock, cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, and initiating urgent emergency nursing alerts.

1. Infection Control and Hand Hygiene — Techniques of medical and surgical handwashing, proper usage of personal protective equipment, disinfection principles, and hospital asepsis standards.
2. Biomedical Waste Management — Segregation of clinical wastes into colored bins, disposal guidelines, safe sharp handling, needle-stick injury prevention, and institutional protocols.
3. Patient Admission and Discharge — Admission documentation, orientation to ward environment, safe handling of belongings, routine transfer processes, and planned discharge formalities.
4. Patient Mobility and Transfer Techniques — Assisting with ambulation, moving patients from bed to wheelchair or stretcher, use of slide sheets, and ergonomics.
5. Hot and Cold Applications — Physiological effects, indications, contraindications, application of hot water bags, ice caps, compresses, and tepid sponge baths safely.
6. Assisting with Nutrition and Feeding — Feeding dependent patients, serving therapeutic diets, assisting with nasogastric tube feeding, recording intake, and choking prevention.
7. Collection of Routine Diagnostic Specimens — Techniques for collecting urine, stool, and sputum samples, correct labeling, container handling, transportation protocols, and biohazard safeguards.
8. Wound Dressing and Bandaging Basics — Principles of wound cleaning, aseptic dressing application, common bandage types, application techniques, and monitoring for infection signs.
9. Administration of Enemas and Flatus Tubes — Indications, preparation of solutions, positioning patients, equipment handling, gentle administration techniques, and observing post-procedure bowel outputs.
10. Care of the Dying and Post-Mortem Care — Assisting terminal patients with compassionate supportive care, recognizing signs of biological death, and performing respectful post-mortem wrapping.

1. Introduction to Infection Control — Overview of healthcare-associated infections, chain of infection, common pathogens, and significance of preventive protocols in patient care environments.
2. Hand Hygiene Techniques — Concepts of hand hygiene, social and surgical hand washing steps, use of alcohol-based hand rubs, and specific WHO moments of hand hygiene.
3. Personal Protective Equipment — Types of PPE including gloves, gowns, masks, face shields, their indications, and proper techniques for donning and doffing equipment safely.
4. Cleaning, Disinfection, and Sterilization — Definitions and differences between cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization, types of disinfectants, and autoclave operation methods in clinical utility areas.
5. Biomedical Waste Management Protocols — Indian national guidelines for hospital waste segregation, color coding of bins, handling sharps, transport, and safe disposal methods.
6. Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions — Application of universal precautions, contact, droplet, and airborne isolation procedures for infectious disease containment in hospital wards.
7. Aseptic Techniques in Nursing — Principles of maintaining sterility during bedside procedures, handling sterile supplies, wound dressing support, and minimizing contamination risks.
8. Environmental Cleaning and Spill Management — Protocols for routine hospital surface cleaning, handling chemical agents, terminal disinfection, and management of blood or body fluid spills.
9. Needle Stick Injury and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis — Prevention of accidental sharps injuries, immediate first aid protocols, incident reporting systems, and post-exposure prophylaxis for healthcare assistants.
10. Infection Surveillance and Nursing Assistant Role — Daily responsibilities of nursing care assistants in monitoring hygiene standards, reporting infection outbreaks, and supporting hospital infection control committees.

1. Orientation to Hospital Environment — Familiarization with ward layout, hospital policies, code of conduct, patient safety measures, and interdepartmental coordination in clinical settings.
2. Assisting with Vital Signs Monitoring — Procedures for observing, recording, and reporting patient body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure under nursing supervision.
3. Bed Making and Patient Comfort — Techniques of preparing open, closed, and occupied beds, positioning immobile patients, and maintaining optimal comfort and ergonomic posture.
4. Personal Hygiene Assistance for Patients — Assisting patients with sponge baths, oral care, hair care, nail care, pressure sore prevention, and changing patient linen safely.
5. Nutrition and Hydration Support — Assisting with patient meal distribution, feeding helpless patients, monitoring fluid intake and output charts, and observing dietary restrictions.
6. Elimination Needs and Care — Assisting patients with bedpans and urinals, basic catheter care observation, diaper changes, and maintaining accurate elimination records.
7. Patient Mobility and Transfer Techniques — Safe transfer of bedridden patients to wheelchairs or stretchers, assisting with ambulation, and applying basic range-of-motion exercises.
8. Specimen Collection and Handling Assistance — Assisting staff nurses with collection, labeling, transport of urine, stool, and sputum specimens to the laboratory following standard precautions.
9. First Aid and Emergency Assistance — Role of nursing care assistant during medical emergencies, CPR support, retrieving emergency crash carts, and basic wound support.
10. Clinical Documentation and Ward Routine — Maintaining shift logs, reporting changes in patient condition to staff nurses, inventory checking, and supporting patient admission and discharge routines.