OSSSC Nursing Officer Syllabus 2026: Subject-Wise Topics and Study Checklist
The OSSSC Nursing Officer syllabus covers the subjects you studied in your GNM or B.Sc Nursing course, plus a short section of arithmetic and English. This page turns that scope into a subject-wise checklist so you know what to study first and how much time each part deserves.
Honesty note: the commission's advertisement is reported to name 16 nursing subjects, practical skills, arithmetic and English, but we could not open an official topic-by-topic list. The topics below are built from the standard GNM and B.Sc Nursing curriculum and from the way nursing recruitment papers are framed. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list, and compare them with the advertisement on the official website.
Table of Contents
Syllabus at a glance
Key points to know about this syllabus
Nursing subjects: topic checklist
Practical nursing skills
Arithmetic and English at HSC level
Where subjects overlap
Is there an interview syllabus?
How to cover the syllabus in phases
Syllabus at a glance
Section | Questions | Marks | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
GNM and B.Sc Nursing subjects (16 subjects) | 60 | 60 | Theory across the nursing curriculum |
Practical nursing skills | 25 | 25 | Procedures, clinical judgement, emergencies |
Arithmetic (HSC standard) | 10 | 10 | Basic calculation |
English (HSC standard) | 5 | 5 | Grammar and usage |
The total is 100 questions for 100 marks in 2 hours, with 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer.
Key points to know about this syllabus
One paper, no separate stages: there is a single written test, so every subject competes for the same 100 marks.
Theory and practical are both tested: the 25 practical-skills marks are larger than arithmetic and English combined, so do not skip them.
Subject-wise marks are not published: the 60 theory marks are spread across 16 subjects, but no official split per subject has been seen. Plan by past-paper pattern and not by a fixed number.
Older pages can mislead: some pages still describe a different pattern or an OMR test. Follow the official notice for this exam.
Nursing subjects: topic checklist
The 16 subjects reported in the advertisement annexure are grouped below. Use the third column to decide where to begin.
Subject | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Anatomy and Physiology | Body systems, cells and tissues, blood, heart and circulation, respiration, digestion, endocrine glands, nervous system, sense organs | Cardiovascular and respiratory systems |
Microbiology | Classification of microbes, sterilisation and disinfection, immunity, common infections, hospital-acquired infection | Sterilisation and immunity |
Psychology | Growth and development, learning, intelligence, personality, defence mechanisms, stress and coping | Development stages and defence mechanisms |
Sociology | Family, community, culture, social change, social problems, health and society | Community and culture |
Nursing Foundation | Nursing process, vital signs, hygiene, positioning, medication administration, documentation, basic procedures | Vital signs and medication routes |
First Aid | Bleeding, burns, fractures, poisoning, bites, drowning, shock, basic life support | Bleeding, burns and CPR |
Community Health Nursing | National health programmes, epidemiology, immunisation schedule, environmental health, health education, family welfare | Immunisation and national programmes |
Nutrition | Nutrients, balanced diet, deficiency disorders, therapeutic diets, community nutrition programmes | Vitamins, minerals and deficiency diseases |
Medical-Surgical (Adult Health) Nursing | Cardiac, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, neurological, endocrine, orthopaedic and emergency conditions, pre- and post-operative care, burns | Cardiac, respiratory and renal disorders |
Mental Health Nursing | Mental status examination, schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety, substance abuse, therapies, Mental Healthcare Act | Mood and psychotic disorders |
Child Health Nursing | Growth and development, newborn care, paediatric emergencies, common childhood diseases, IMNCI, immunisation | Newborn care and childhood illness |
Midwifery and Gynaecological Nursing | Antenatal, intranatal and postnatal care, high-risk pregnancy, obstetric complications, family planning, gynaecological disorders | Antenatal care and labour stages |
Nursing Education | Teaching methods, learning principles, evaluation, communication and audio-visual aids | Teaching methods |
Research and Statistics | Research process, sampling, data collection, measures of central tendency, basic statistics | Sampling and averages |
Professionalism and Ethics | Code of ethics, legal aspects, consent, professional conduct, nursing councils and acts | Ethics and legal terms |
Nursing Administration and Management | Management principles, staffing, supervision, record keeping, hospital organisation, leadership | Management functions and supervision |
High-yield subjects
Medical-Surgical Nursing, Community Health Nursing, Child Health Nursing and Midwifery are the largest subjects in the course and usually give the most questions in nursing recruitment papers. Spend about half of your revision time here. Anatomy, Physiology, Nutrition and Microbiology carry steady direct questions that can be scored with short notes and repeated revision.
Practical nursing skills
The 25-mark skills section is reported to test applied knowledge, such as how to carry out a procedure, what to do first in an emergency and which instrument or drug suits a situation. It rewards clinical sense more than memorised definitions.
Procedures: catheterisation, injections and routes, wound care, enema, oxygen therapy, suctioning, intravenous therapy and blood transfusion steps.
Emergencies: CPR sequence, shock, anaphylaxis, seizures, haemorrhage and triage priorities.
Drug work: dose calculation, drip rate, common drug classes, side effects and safe storage.
Safety: hand hygiene, biomedical waste segregation, patient identification and infection control.
Practise these as short scenario questions, because that is how skill questions are usually framed.
Arithmetic and English at HSC level
Section | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Arithmetic (10 marks) | Percentage, ratio and proportion, average, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, time and work, unit conversion | Percentage and ratio |
English (5 marks) | Tenses, articles, prepositions, subject-verb agreement, synonyms and antonyms, one-word substitution, error spotting | Tenses and prepositions |
These 15 marks are the easiest to protect. Arithmetic in particular links to drug and fluid calculations in nursing, so the practice does double duty.
Where subjects overlap
Area | Theory section | Skills section | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
Infection control | Microbiology, Nursing Foundation | Hand hygiene, waste handling | Study once, revise as one topic |
Emergencies | First Aid, Medical-Surgical Nursing | CPR, shock management | Combine into one emergency sheet |
Maternal and child care | Midwifery, Child Health | Newborn care, labour steps | Revise as a single life-stage chain |
Calculations | Research and Statistics | Dose and drip rate | Link with arithmetic practice |
Is there an interview syllabus?
No interview has been reported for this recruitment. Selection is reported to be through the written test followed by document verification, so there is no separate syllabus beyond the paper described above. Confirm in the official advertisement.
How to cover the syllabus in phases
Weeks 1 to 4: revise Medical-Surgical, Community Health, Child Health and Midwifery from your own class notes, and add 20 minutes of arithmetic daily.
Weeks 3 to 6: cover Anatomy, Physiology, Nutrition, Microbiology and Psychology, and write one-page summaries.
Weeks 6 to 8: prepare the lighter subjects (Sociology, Education, Research, Ethics, Administration) and the skills section.
Weeks 8 onwards: take subject-wise tests, then full-length mocks.
Always keep the advertisement open while you plan. Official website: https://www.osssc.gov.in/
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