Nursing Officer Salary, AIIMS Exam and CHO Pay

Nursing officer salary in AIIMS and most central government hospitals starts at Pay Level 7 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, which means a starting basic pay of ₹44,900 a month. On a nursing officer payslip, basic is only the starting line: dearness allowance, house rent and travel money push the gross well above it. In this guide I explain what a nursing officer does, who runs the AIIMS nursing exam (NORCET), who can apply, the age limit, the exam pattern, the CHO route under NHM, and how promotions work.

What a nursing officer does

"Nursing Officer" is the name central government hospitals now use for the post that was earlier called staff nurse. The work is the same: you are the registered nurse in charge of patients on a ward, ICU, emergency, operation theatre or outpatient clinic. A typical staff nurse job description includes:

• Checking vital signs, giving medicines and injections as per the doctor's orders, and starting and watching IV lines.
• Preparing patients for surgery and caring for them after it.
• Keeping patient records, handing over cases at shift change and reporting any change in a patient's condition.
• Infection control, care of equipment, and guiding nursing students and attendants.
• Talking to families and teaching patients how to care for themselves at home.

The job responsibilities of a staff nurse are the same in private and government hospitals. What changes is the pay, job security and the number of patients you look after. Expect rotating shifts, night duty and work on holidays. Students who are calm under pressure and kind to people do well here.

Nursing officer salary: AIIMS pay level and allowances

The AIIMS nursing officer salary is fixed by the NORCET notification at Level 7 (Group B). The notice still writes it in the old form, Pay Band 2 with Grade Pay ₹4,600, which matches Level 7 in the 7th CPC matrix. Here is how the monthly pay is built:

For the current gross and in-hand figures, check the salary panel near the start of this guide. You can also try different cities in the calculator below.

So the AIIMS nursing officer salary per month is the same whether you are at AIIMS Delhi or a newer AIIMS. The Delhi AIIMS nursing officer salary looks higher only because Delhi is an X class city, so HRA is at the top rate. If you want to understand each allowance in detail, read our page on salary allowances explained.

ESIC, DSSSB, JIPMER and state nursing officer salary

ESIC, central hospitals in Delhi, JIPMER and other central institutes also hire nursing officers. The ESIC nursing officer salary, DSSSB nursing officer salary and JIPMER nursing officer salary are usually at Level 7 as well. Always confirm the level in that recruitment notice, because a few posts are filled on contract with a fixed monthly amount. State government staff nurse salary is different in each state, for example a Bihar staff nurse, an Odisha nursing officer or a staff nurse in West Bengal is paid on that state's own pay matrix. Check the state health department or the state selection commission notice for the exact scale.

AIIMS nursing exam (NORCET): who conducts it

AIIMS New Delhi conducts the Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test, called NORCET. One exam fills nursing officer posts in AIIMS New Delhi and the other AIIMS across the country, plus some other central institutes listed in the notice. Applications, admit cards and results are on aiimsexams.ac.in. NORCET is held regularly, but the timing and number of posts change with each cycle, so read the latest notice there.

In the notices we checked, a large share of seats (80 percent) was kept for women and the rest for men, as per a decision of the AIIMS governing body. Male nurses should still apply, as there are posts for them too.

Eligibility for staff nurse government jobs at AIIMS

You can apply for NORCET with either of these:

• Option 1: BSc (Hons) Nursing, BSc Nursing or Post Basic BSc Nursing from an institute recognised by the Indian Nursing Council or a State Nursing Council, plus registration as a Nurse and Midwife with a state or Indian nursing council.
• Option 2: Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM), registration as a Nurse and Midwife, and two years of experience in a hospital with at least 50 beds, gained after the diploma.

If you are still in 12th and want this career, the usual path is a BSc Nursing degree. Our list of medical courses after 12th shows other health options as well.

Age limit and relaxation

The NORCET age limit is 18 to 30 years, counted on the last date of the application. The upper limit is relaxed as follows:

A reserved category candidate who applies against an unreserved seat gets no relaxation. Use the checker below to see your age on the cut-off date. For the wider picture across exams, see our page on age limit for govt jobs.

Selection process and AIIMS nursing exam syllabus

NORCET is a computer based test in two stages. Both have negative marking of one third mark for each wrong answer.

About five times the number of seats in each category are called from Stage I to Stage II. The AIIMS nursing exam syllabus is the nursing subjects you studied for your degree or diploma: medical surgical nursing, child health, mental health, obstetrics and gynaecology nursing, community health nursing, fundamentals, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, and nursing management. The notice itself does not give a topic list, so go by your course syllabus and past papers.

After the merit list you go through document checks and a medical exam before joining. The application fee differs by category and PwBD candidates are exempt; see the notice for the current amount.

CHO salary and the community health officer exam

CHO means Community Health Officer. CHOs work at Health and Wellness Centres (now called Ayushman Arogya Mandirs) at the sub centre level in villages, under the National Health Mission (NHM). They handle basic treatment, maternal and child care, screening for BP and diabetes, and health camps. These are state level posts, usually on contract that is renewed every year.

The CHO exam is a written test conducted by the state NHM or an agency it appoints. Most states ask for BSc Nursing or Post Basic BSc Nursing with a Certificate in Community Health (CCH), or a degree that already includes the community health module. Some states accept other qualifications as well, so read your state's rules. The CHO exam syllabus is mostly community health, nursing and public health programmes.

Community health officer salary is a fixed monthly amount plus a performance linked incentive. For example, one Himachal Pradesh NHM notice offered ₹25,000 fixed plus up to ₹15,000 incentive a month. CHO salary in Rajasthan, CHO salary in UP, CHO salary in MP, Bihar CHO salary and CHO salary in West Bengal are each set by that state's NHM and are revised from time to time, so check the latest state notice. Remember that a CHO post is contractual, while an AIIMS nursing officer post is a regular central government job with pension benefits under NPS.

Training, promotions and chief nursing officer salary

New nursing officers are placed on probation and get orientation on the hospital's systems, ward rules and infection control. Most learning happens on the job under senior nurses.

The usual promotion ladder in central hospitals is Nursing Officer, Senior Nursing Officer, Assistant Nursing Superintendent, Deputy Nursing Superintendent, Nursing Superintendent and finally Chief Nursing Officer. Each step comes with a higher pay level, so the senior nursing officer salary in AIIMS and the chief nursing officer salary are well above the starting pay. Promotion speed depends on vacancies and the recruitment rules of each hospital. An MSc Nursing helps if you want teaching or senior posts later.

How to prepare for staff nurse jobs and the official website

• Revise your core subjects: medical surgical nursing carries the most weight, followed by child health, obstetrics, community health and mental health.
• Practise case based questions: Mains tests how you would act with a real patient, not just definitions.
• Take timed mock tests: both stages have sectional timing, so speed matters. Avoid wild guesses because of negative marking.
• Keep general knowledge light but regular: 20 questions in Prelims are on GK and aptitude.
• Keep documents ready: degree, nursing council registration and category certificates.

Most students who already work in a hospital need about 3 to 6 months of steady preparation alongside their job. For other options, see our pages on govt jobs for women and the full government exams list.

Official website: aiimsexams.ac.in for NORCET. For CHO and state staff nurse jobs, check your state NHM site and state health department.