CG Vyapam Staff Nurse 2026: Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Syllabus and Preparation Guide

Nursing is one of the few government careers where a professional qualification is required before you can even apply, and where the demand for trained people stays high every year. In Chhattisgarh, the public health system runs on district hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres, sub-health centres and the medical colleges attached to government hospitals in places like Raipur, Bilaspur, Jagdalpur, Rajnandgaon, Ambikapur and Raigarh. All of these need Staff Nurses. This guide explains how the Staff Nurse post is usually filled, who can apply, what the written test tends to look like, and how to prepare topic by topic.

One point needs to be said clearly at the start. Recruitment for Staff Nurse in Chhattisgarh is not always done by a single body in a fixed annual cycle. In recent cycles, the Chhattisgarh Professional Examination Board (CG Vyapam, based in Raipur) has conducted written examinations for posts in the Health and Family Welfare Department, but some vacancies are advertised by the Directorate of Medical Education, by individual medical colleges, by the National Health Mission (on contract) or by a district health society. The recruiting body, the mode of selection and even the designation of the post can change from one advertisement to the next. Treat this article as a guide to the stable core of the exam, and confirm every rule in the current official advertisement.

Latest Notification and How Recruitment Cycles Work

There is no permanent calendar for the Staff Nurse post. The usual sequence is as follows.

1. The Health and Family Welfare Department (or the Medical Education Department) works out vacancies against the sanctioned posts, after adjusting for retirements and new hospital buildings.
2. The requirement is sent to the recruiting agency. If Vyapam is the agency, it publishes an advertisement on its own website with the qualification, age rules, fee, exam scheme and the last date for the online form.
3. An online application window opens for a fixed number of days, followed by a short correction window in many cycles.
4. Admit cards are released, the exam is held, provisional answer keys are published, objections are invited, and the result follows.
5. Merit list, document verification and appointment orders are issued by the department, and the candidate is posted to a district or hospital.

You should keep two habits. First, look at the Vyapam website (the Chhattisgarh Professional Examination Board site) and the Health Department site regularly rather than depending on social media. Second, do not wait for a notification to start studying. In state health recruitments the gap between an announcement and the exam can be short, and candidates who begin only after the advertisement often run out of time.

Contractual posts under the National Health Mission deserve a separate mention. These are filled on a fixed-term basis, and the selection may be based on academic marks, an interview or a test. They are a valid way to gain experience, but they are not the same as a regular government Staff Nurse post with a permanent pay scale. Always read whether the advertisement is for "regular" or "contractual" posts before you invest your effort.

What the Job Is and What a Day Looks Like

A Staff Nurse is the backbone of ward-level care. In a district hospital or medical college, your day is organised around shifts, usually morning, evening and night, and a rotation across wards is common. The core responsibilities are:

• Patient assessment: recording temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, pain scores and intake-output charts, and reporting changes to the doctor in time.
• Medication and injections: administering drugs by the ordered route (oral, intramuscular, intravenous, subcutaneous), calculating doses, checking the "five rights" of medication (right patient, drug, dose, route and time) and documenting.
• Procedures: IV cannulation, catheterisation, dressing, wound care, nasogastric feeding, suction, oxygen administration, sample collection and assisting the doctor in minor procedures.
• Maternal and newborn care: in labour rooms and maternity wards, monitoring labour progress, assisting delivery, resuscitating newborns and supporting breastfeeding and immunisation.
• Operation theatre and emergency work: preparing patients, instruments and sterile fields, and following infection control protocols.
• Health education and records: counselling patients and families, maintaining registers, reporting to the nursing superintendent and taking part in national programmes such as immunisation, tuberculosis control and maternal health schemes.

In Chhattisgarh, the workload has a strong public-health flavour. A large part of the state is forested or tribal, with dispersed villages, and maternal health, malaria, malnutrition, tuberculosis and sickle cell disease are recurring concerns in the health system. The state's Mitanin programme, launched in 2002 as a community health worker initiative, later became a model that influenced the national ASHA programme. A Staff Nurse posted at a community health centre often works closely with such village-level workers, so a general awareness of community health is part of being effective.

Post and Vacancy Structure

Vacancy numbers change with every advertisement and are decided by the department, not by the exam agency. Ignore any number that is not printed in the official notice. Here is the general structure.

Item	Note
Post	Staff Nurse (sometimes called Nursing Officer in some advertisements; check)
Department	Health and Family Welfare, or Medical Education, depending on the vacancy
Recruiting body	Commonly CG Vyapam in written-test cycles; other bodies possible
Type	Regular or contractual; the advertisement will specify
Reservation	Vertical categories and horizontal reservations (women, persons with disabilities, ex-servicemen) as per the state rules in force
Posting	District-wise or unit-wise, as advertised

Reservation percentages in Chhattisgarh have been a subject of court proceedings and government decisions in recent years, so do not rely on figures from old articles. Use the roster given in the advertisement.

Eligibility

Educational Qualification

The usual requirement for Staff Nurse is one of the following, but the exact wording is in the advertisement.

• General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) diploma from a recognised institution, or
• B.Sc Nursing (four-year degree) or Post Basic B.Sc Nursing from a recognised university.

Along with the qualification, registration with the Chhattisgarh Nursing Council (or a recognised State Nursing Council, whichever the advertisement accepts) is generally required by the time of verification. If you finished your course in another state, check whether the advertisement accepts your registration or asks you to register in Chhattisgarh. Many candidates lose their chance at verification stage because they only completed the nursing council formalities after the deadline. Start that process early.

Some advertisements also state a preference for candidates who have passed 12th with science, or ask for a specific duration of internship completion. Read the eligibility clause fully, including the cut-off date for having the qualification.

Age Limit

The minimum age is normally 18. The maximum age for direct recruitment in state posts is typically in the range of the mid-thirties up to forty, with relaxation for SC, ST, OBC, women, and other categories as per state rules, and often the relaxation applies to Chhattisgarh domiciles. Since general age rules in the state have been revised over time, use the number and the date of reckoning printed in the notification.

Domicile

Many state health recruitments give preference to, or reserve posts for, Chhattisgarh residents, and reserved-category certificates are usually accepted only if issued by a competent authority in Chhattisgarh. If you belong to another state, read the domicile clause carefully before applying.

Other Conditions

Good character, physical and mental fitness for the duties, and in some cases a restriction on the number of living children or a declaration on the small-family norm as per the service rules. Follow the advertisement.

Application Process

1. Create a profile on the official recruiting portal and note the registration number and password securely.
2. Choose the correct advertisement (Staff Nurse, Health Department) and fill in personal, educational and category details exactly as they appear in your certificates.
3. Upload a recent photograph, signature and documents in the size and format asked.
4. Pay the application fee online if the advertisement charges one. The amount is in the notification and often varies by category.
5. Submit, download the confirmation and keep a printout. Note the correction window date if any.

Practical advice: keep a single folder with scanned copies of your class 10 certificate, class 12 mark sheet, GNM or B.Sc Nursing mark sheets, nursing council registration, caste and domicile certificates. Names and dates of birth should be identical everywhere. If there is any mismatch, get an affidavit or a corrected document before the application, not after the result.

Selection Stages

Written examination. In cycles where Vyapam conducts the test, a single objective paper is typical. The result is prepared as a merit list on the basis of marks, subject to reservation rules.

Document verification. You bring originals of educational qualification, registration, category, domicile and identity documents. Candidates without valid registration or with an ineligible qualification are dropped here.

Medical fitness. For appointment, a medical examination may be required.

Counselling or posting. Some cycles allot hospitals through counselling based on rank, and others post candidates by department orders.

Some other advertisements, especially for contractual or medical-college posts, select by academic merit or by interview instead of a written test. That is why you must read the "selection method" clause.

Exam Pattern (Typical Structure, Verify in Notification)

Feature	Typical structure
Mode	Objective multiple-choice paper; OMR-based or computer-based as notified
Language	Hindi and English; in recent years most questions have been bilingual
Number of questions and time	Set in the advertisement; usually one paper of around a hundred or more questions, with two to three hours
Negative marking	Possible; check the instruction in the notice
Syllabus mix	Mostly nursing subjects, with a smaller share of general awareness and Chhattisgarh-related health topics

Do not rely on a pattern from a previous year. Rather than memorising a mark distribution, build an understanding of the whole nursing curriculum and be flexible.

Detailed Syllabus and How to Approach It

The written test for nurses tests a diploma or degree-level nursing curriculum. The best way to study is by system and by clinical situation, not by memorising isolated facts.

Anatomy and Physiology

Body organisation, cell and tissues; skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, endocrine, nervous, reproductive systems and special senses. Focus on normal values and functions: normal blood pressure (about 120/80 mm Hg), pulse (60 to 100 per minute in adults), respiratory rate (12 to 20 per minute), haemoglobin ranges, blood groups, functions of hormones and the flow of blood through the heart. These are typically asked as direct facts.

Microbiology, Pathology and Biochemistry

Types of microorganisms, modes of transmission, sterilisation methods (autoclave, hot air oven, chemical), disinfection, biomedical waste segregation by colour code, blood components, laboratory tests and their normal values. Learn diseases with their causative organism and typical vector or route.

Fundamentals of Nursing

Nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation), vital signs, bed making, positioning, hygiene, nutrition and feeding, elimination, oxygen therapy, infection control and hand hygiene, medication administration, injection sites, intake-output charting, first aid, basic life support, and documentation and ethics. Drug calculation questions are common and easy to score if you practise: dose from strength, IV drip rate in drops per minute, and conversion between milligrams, grams and micrograms.

Medical-Surgical Nursing

Disorders of the respiratory, cardiac, gastrointestinal, renal, endocrine, neurological, musculoskeletal and haematological systems. Study each condition in one format: cause, main signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and the key nursing priorities. Diabetes and its complications, hypertension, myocardial infarction, asthma and COPD, tuberculosis, hepatitis, renal failure, burns, fractures, pre- and post-operative care, and shock recognition are frequent areas.

Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Midwifery)

Antenatal care schedule, physiological changes in pregnancy, danger signs, stages of labour, partograph, normal delivery, active management of the third stage, postpartum haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, anaemia in pregnancy, family planning methods, newborn care, breastfeeding, and postnatal care. Also learn the maternal health programmes: Janani Suraksha Yojana (2005), Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (2011) and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (2016).

Paediatric Nursing

Growth and developmental milestones, immunisation schedule, common childhood illnesses (diarrhoea and dehydration, pneumonia, measles, malnutrition, worm infestations), neonatal care, jaundice and low birth weight care. The national immunisation schedule appears in every health exam: BCG, hepatitis B and OPV zero dose at birth, pentavalent doses at 6, 10 and 14 weeks, and measles-rubella at 9 months, followed by boosters as per the current schedule. Verify against the latest schedule because vaccines are added over time.

Community Health Nursing

Levels of prevention, epidemiology basics, national health programmes (immunisation, National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, malaria and vector-borne disease control, leprosy, blindness control, mental health), primary health care and the three-tier rural health system (sub-centre, primary health centre, community health centre), vital statistics, environment sanitation, water purification, and health education methods.

Mental Health Nursing and Pharmacology

Common psychiatric disorders and therapeutic communication; classes of drugs such as antibiotics, analgesics, antihypertensives, insulin and their major side effects, and the antidotes to common poisons.

Nutrition

Balanced diet, macronutrients and micronutrients, vitamin deficiency diseases and their sources, and the ICDS and mid-day meal programmes. Chhattisgarh-specific attention to child malnutrition and anaemia programmes is helpful.

General Awareness and Chhattisgarh Knowledge

Even nursing-focused papers usually carry a smaller general section. Study Chhattisgarh's formation (1 November 2000), capital Raipur, major rivers (Mahanadi, Shivnath, Hasdeo, Indravati), major cities and institutions such as AIIMS Raipur, the state's tribal composition, the Mitanin programme, and current health schemes. Add a monthly current-affairs revision. Hindi comprehension and basic English may also appear.

Salary and Career Growth

The pay of a regular Staff Nurse follows the state government pay matrix for the applicable level, with allowances such as dearness allowance, house rent allowance and, in some cases, nursing or risk allowance. Probation and the amount payable during it are governed by the state rules of the year, so read the pay clause in the advertisement instead of a number from a forum. Contractual posts under a mission generally pay a fixed monthly amount.

Career growth in the department follows a ladder such as Staff Nurse, Senior Staff Nurse or Charge Nurse, Nursing Sister or Ward In-charge, Assistant Nursing Superintendent and Nursing Superintendent, depending on the cadre rules and seniority. Higher qualifications like B.Sc Nursing, M.Sc Nursing or a specialised diploma improve your chance of promotion and of entry into teaching in nursing colleges. Some nurses also move to central hospitals, railways, ESIC or the armed forces nursing services through their own selections.

Previous-Year Trends

Since the recruiting body and the exam pattern can differ, treat the following as general observations rather than numbers.

• Questions tend to be direct and factual, with a good share coming from fundamentals of nursing, medical-surgical nursing and midwifery.
• Drug dose and IV rate calculations appear now and then, and candidates who have practised them gain a few sure marks.
• Community health and national programmes are a reliable source of questions, and so are immunisation and vitamin deficiency topics.
• Chhattisgarh-specific items (health schemes, geography, state basics) form a small, but easy, portion.
• Competition varies with the number of vacancies. Large advertisements attract huge numbers of GNM and B.Sc Nursing holders, so accuracy and speed both matter.
• The difficulty level is that of a diploma exam, not of a competitive entrance test. Depth in core subjects beats breadth in random facts.

Worked Practice Questions

Q1. What is the normal respiratory rate of a healthy adult at rest? Answer: 12 to 20 breaths per minute. Explanation: A rate above 20 is tachypnoea and below 12 is bradypnoea. Always count for a full minute when the pattern is irregular.

Q2. A doctor orders 1.5 g of a drug. The tablets available are 500 mg each. How many tablets should be given? Answer: 3 tablets. Explanation: 1.5 g = 1500 mg. Divide by 500 mg per tablet, which gives 3.

Q3. An IV order says 1000 ml of normal saline over 8 hours. The set delivers 20 drops per ml. What is the drip rate? Answer: About 42 drops per minute. Explanation: Drops per minute = (volume in ml × drop factor) / time in minutes = (1000 × 20) / (8 × 60) = 20000 / 480 = 41.67, so about 42.

Q4. A woman's last menstrual period began on 10 March. Using Naegele's rule, the expected date of delivery is: (a) 10 December (b) 17 December (c) 3 December (d) 24 December Answer: (b) 17 December. Explanation: Add 7 days to the first day of the last menstrual period and add 9 months (or subtract 3 months and add one year). 10 March plus 9 months is 10 December, and plus 7 days is 17 December.

Q5. Night blindness is caused by deficiency of which vitamin? Answer: Vitamin A. Explanation: Vitamin A is needed for the visual pigment in the retina. Its deficiency can lead to night blindness and xerophthalmia. Good sources are liver, carrots, papaya and green leafy vegetables.

Q6. The correct compression to ventilation ratio for adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation by a single rescuer is: (a) 15:2 (b) 30:2 (c) 5:1 (d) 30:1 Answer: (b) 30:2. Explanation: Thirty chest compressions followed by two breaths, at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute, and a depth of about 5 to 6 cm in adults.

Q7. Which drug is the specific antidote for paracetamol overdose? Answer: N-acetylcysteine. Explanation: It replenishes glutathione and prevents liver damage from the toxic metabolite of paracetamol. It works best when started early.

Q8. The BCG vaccine is given at birth by which route and site? Answer: Intradermal injection over the left upper arm. Explanation: BCG protects mainly against severe forms of childhood tuberculosis. Its typical local reaction is a small papule that turns into a scar.

Q9. The Apgar score assesses a newborn on how many parameters, and at what times is it commonly recorded? Answer: Five parameters (appearance or colour, pulse, grimace or reflex response, activity or muscle tone, respiration), recorded at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. Explanation: A score of 7 to 10 is generally considered normal, and lower scores need help to support breathing or circulation.

Q10. The Mitanin programme, a community health worker initiative that later influenced ASHA, was launched in which Indian state? Answer: Chhattisgarh. Explanation: It began in 2002 and placed a trained woman volunteer in villages to link households with health services. It is a common example in community health chapters.

Month-by-Month Preparation Plan

This plan assumes about four months. If you have less, compress the first two months and protect the revision months.

• Month 1: Rebuild fundamentals. Anatomy, physiology and fundamentals of nursing from your own class notes. Learn normal values and vital signs. Do 10 drug calculation problems daily.
• Month 2: Medical-surgical nursing by system, with a one-page summary of each disease in the format of cause, signs, treatment and nursing care. Start Hindi and general awareness for 30 minutes daily.
• Month 3: Obstetrics, paediatrics and community health. Learn immunisation, family planning, national programmes and the health system structure. Attempt a sectional test every weekend.
• Month 4: Pharmacology, nutrition, microbiology and mental health. Then Chhattisgarh GK and current affairs. Take full-length timed mocks twice a week and analyse errors.
• Last two weeks: Only revision of your one-page notes, previous questions and weak topics. Prepare your documents, including registration, and rest well before the exam.

A simple daily routine works better than long irregular sessions. Two hours of core nursing subject, one hour of practice questions and thirty minutes of general awareness is a sustainable target for a working nurse or a student in the final year.

Books and Resources

• Your own GNM or B.Sc Nursing textbooks and class notes, which are the syllabus itself.
• A concise MCQ book for staff nurse exams, used only for practice after you have revised the theory.
• The current National Immunisation Schedule from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and any official health programme summaries.
• Chhattisgarh GK from a standard state-level book and from the official state government sources.
• Newspaper health pages and monthly current-affairs summaries.
• Timed mock tests at pareeksha.in for exam-style speed practice.

Avoid collecting more than two or three books. Repeating the same book three times is more useful than reading six books once.

Common Mistakes

1. Waiting for the notification before starting to study.
2. Studying only from question banks without understanding the concepts behind the answers.
3. Ignoring drug calculations, even though they are learnable in a week.
4. Not registering with the nursing council early enough, or letting registration lapse.
5. Forgetting to check whether the advertisement is for regular or contractual posts.
6. Filling the form with a name or date of birth that differs from your certificates.
7. Using outdated immunisation or programme details.
8. Skipping general awareness and Chhattisgarh GK because "it is a nursing exam".

Comparison with Sibling Chhattisgarh Exams

Aspect	Staff Nurse	Lab Technician	ANM / MPW	Patwari
Department	Health, Medical Education	Health, Medical Education	Health	Revenue
Core subjects	Nursing, midwifery, community health	Pathology, biochemistry, microbiology	Community health, maternal and child care	Land records, arithmetic
Qualification	GNM or B.Sc Nursing	DMLT or B.Sc MLT	ANM, or MPW course	Graduate
Work setting	Ward, OT, labour room	Laboratory	Sub-centre, field	Village, tehsil

If you hold a health qualification, note that the neighbouring posts in the health department follow a similar broad approach, so studying community health and national programmes serves more than one exam. See the related posts on Lab Technician and ANM and Multi-Purpose Health Worker.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who conducts the Staff Nurse exam in Chhattisgarh? It varies. CG Vyapam has conducted written tests for Health Department posts in recent cycles, but other bodies advertise some vacancies. Read the current advertisement.

2. What is the educational qualification? Usually a GNM diploma or B.Sc Nursing, along with state nursing council registration. Confirm the accepted qualifications in the notice.

3. Do I need Chhattisgarh domicile? Many state health posts give preference to residents, and category benefits are typically for domiciles. Check the domicile clause.

4. Is there negative marking? It depends on the exam. Read the instruction page in the advertisement and admit card.

5. Is the exam in Hindi or English? Question papers in Chhattisgarh recruitments are typically bilingual. Verify in the notice.

6. Are contractual NHM posts the same as regular Staff Nurse posts? No. NHM posts are on a fixed-term basis and their selection method and pay can differ. Read the type of post.

7. How many vacancies are there? It changes every cycle and is given only in the official advertisement.

8. Can male candidates apply? Yes. Staff Nurse posts are open to both men and women who meet the qualification, unless a post is specifically marked otherwise.

9. Is a physical test required? Not usually for Staff Nurse, but a medical fitness check may be part of appointment. Confirm in the notice.

10. How much should I study daily? Three to four focused hours over three to four months is a workable target for most candidates.

Related Reads

• CG Vyapam Lab Technician
• CG Vyapam ANM and Multi-Purpose Health Worker
• CG Vyapam Veterinary Field Officer
• CGPSC State Service Exam
• Notices and updates: pareeksha.in/news

Final Word

A Staff Nurse exam rewards candidates who know their nursing subjects thoroughly and who pay attention to details such as the current immunisation schedule, drug calculations and documents. Study by system, revise your own short notes repeatedly, and take timed practice tests so that speed comes naturally. The mock tests on pareeksha.in can help you practise, and the official advertisement of the recruiting body remains the final authority on eligibility, pattern and dates.