Nurse practitioner in Family Health (NPFH)

THE GAZETTE OF INDIA 

EXTRAORDINARY 

PART III—SECTION 4 

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY 

 INDIAN NURSING COUNCIL

8

th Floor, NBCC Centre, Plot No. 2, Community Centre 

Okhla Phase-1, New Delhi-110020 

NOTIFICATION 

New Delhi, Dated___________, 2024 

INDIAN NURSING COUNCIL {NURSE PRACTITIONER IN FAMILY HEALTH (NPFH) - 

POSTGRADUATE RESIDENCY PROGRAM} REGULATIONS, 2024 

F.No. 11-1/2024-INC (VI):—In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 16 of Indian 

Nursing Council Act, 1947 (XLVIII of 1947), as amended from time to time, the Indian Nursing Council hereby 

makes the following regulations, namely:— 

1. SHORT TITLE AND COMMENCEMENT 

i. These Regulations may be called the Indian Nursing Council {Nurse Practitioner in Family Health 

(NPFH) - Postgraduate Residency Program} Regulations, 2024. 

ii. These shall come into force on the date of notification of the same in the Official Gazette of India. 

2. DEFINITIONS 

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, 

i. ‘the Act’ means the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947 (XLVIII of 1947) as amended from time to time; 

ii. ‘the Council’ means the Indian Nursing Council constituted under the Act; 

iii. ‘SNRC’ means the State Nurse and Midwives Registration Council, by whichever name constituted, by 

the respective State Governments; 

iv. ‘RN & RM’ means a Registered Nurse and Registered Midwife (RN & RM) and denotes a nurse who 

has completed successfully, recognised Bachelor of Nursing (B.Sc. Nursing) or Diploma in General 

Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) course, as prescribed by the Council and is registered in a SNRC as 

Registered Nurse and Registered Midwife; 

v. ‘Nurses Registration & Tracking System (NRTS)’ means a system developed by the Council and 

software developed in association with National Informatics Centre (NIC), Government of India, and 

hosted by NIC for the purpose of maintenance and operation of the Indian Nurses Register. It has 

standardised forms for collection of the data of Registered Nurse and Registered Midwife (RN & 

RM)/Registered Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (RANM)/Registered Lady Health Visitor (RLHV) upon 

Aadhar based biometric authentication; 

vi. ‘NUID’ is the Nurses Unique Identification Number given to the registrants in the NRTS system; 

vii. ‘General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM)’ means Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery 

qualification recognized by the Council under Section 10 of the Act and included in Part-I of the Schedule 

of the Act. 

NURSE PRACTITIONER IN FAMILY HEALTH (NPFH) - 

POSTGRADUATE RESIDENCY PROGRAM 

I. Introduction and Background 

In India, reshaping health systems in all dimensions of health has been recognized as an important need in the 

National Health Policy, 2017 (NHP, 2017). It emphasizes human resource development in the areas of education 

and training alongside regulation and legislation. The government recognizes significant expansion in specialty 

and super specialty services both in public and private health sectors. It is highly significant that the health care 

professionals require advanced educational preparation in building their capacity in providing specialized care. 

Developing training programs and curriculum in the area of care is recognized as the need of the hour. Nurse 

Practitioners will be able to meet this demand provided they are well trained and empowered to practice. With 

establishment of new cadres in the Centre and State level, master level prepared NPs particularly Nurse 

 Practitioners in Family Health will be able to provide cost effective, competent, safe and quality driven primary 

health care to patients in various community settings. Nurse practitioners have been prepared and functioning in 

USA since 1960s, UK since 1980s, Australia since 1990s and Netherlands since 2010. 

Nurse Practitioners in Family Health (NPFH) can be prepared to function in primary and secondary care 

settings. Rigorous educational preparation will enable them to assess and participate in treating patients with acute 

and chronic illnesses both for prevention and promotion of health. A curricular structure/framework is proposed 

by the Council towards preparation of Nurse Practitioner in Family Health (NPFH) Program at Masters Level. The 

special feature of this program is that it is a clinical residency program emphasizing a strong clinical component 

with 15% of theoretical instruction and 85% of practicum. Competency based training is the major approach and 

NP education is based on competencies adapted from International Council of Nurses (ICN, 2020), and NONPF 

Competencies (2022). Every course is based on achievement of nurse practitioner competencies. 

Nurse Practitioner in Family Health (NPFH) – Residency Program is intended to prepare registered B.Sc. 

Nurses to provide advanced nursing care to patients who are acutely and chronically ill, using family centered 

approach. The nursing care is focused on stabilizing patients’ condition, minimizing complications and 

maximizing restoration of health. These Nurse Practitioners in Family Health are required to practice in primary 

or secondary health care settings. The program consists of various courses of study that are based on strong 

scientific foundations including evidenced based practice and the management of complex health systems. These 

are built upon the theoretical and practice competencies of B.Sc. trained nurses. On completion of the program 

and registration with respective SNRC, they are permitted to practice all competencies listed in the log book of the 

Council syllabus and also independently administer drugs and order diagnostic tests, procedures, medical 

equipment and therapies as per institutional protocols/standing orders. 

The Nurse Practitioners in Family Health, when exercising this authority, are accountable for demonstrating 

the competencies in 

a) Using scientific knowledge and theoretical foundations in family health related nursing practice. 

b) Patient selection/admission and discharge in various health care settings. 

c) Problem identification through appropriate assessment. 

d) Selection/administration of medication or devices or therapies. 

e) Patients’ education for use of therapeutics. 

f) Knowledge of interactions of drugs/therapeutics. 

g) Evaluation of outcomes. 

h) Recognition and management of complications and untoward reactions. 

i) Providing guidance, consultation, mentorship and educational experiences to students, nurses and other 

health professionals regarding family health care. 

j) Contribution towards evidence-based innovations in family health nursing practice. 

The Nurse Practitioner in Family Health is prepared and qualified to assume responsibility and accountability 

for the care of family under his/her care. 

The said postgraduate degree will be registered as an additional qualification by the SNRC. 

Philosophy 

The Council believes that there is a great need to establish a postgraduate program titled Nurse Practitioner in 

Family Health (NPFH) to meet the challenges and demands of primary and secondary health care services in India 

which is reflected in the National Health Policy, 2017 in order to provide quality care to acutely and chronically 

ill patients and families in various family health care settings. 

The Council believes that postgraduates from a residency program focused on strong clinical component and 

competency-based training must be able to demonstrate clinical competence based on sound theoretical and 

evidence-based knowledge. The teaching learning approach should focus on adult learning principles, 

competency-based education, collaborative learning, clinical learning by medical and nursing preceptors, 

experiential learning and self-directed learning. Education providers/preceptors/mentors must update their current 

knowledge and practices. Medical faculty are invited to participate as preceptors in the training. 

The Council also believes that a variety of educational strategies can be used in the clinical settings to address 

the deficit of qualified Family Health Nursing faculty. It is hoped to facilitate developing policies towards 

registration/licensure and create cadre positions for appropriate placement of these postgraduate NPs in Family 

Health to function in primary health care setting

 II. Program Description 

The Nurse Practitioner in Family Health (NPFH) program is a nursing residency program with a main focus 

on competency-based training. The duration is of two years with the curriculum consisting of theory that includes 

core courses, advanced practice courses and clinical courses besides clinical practicum which is a major component 

(Refer Curricular Framework in Figure 1). 

III. Aim 

The NPFH program prepares registered B.Sc. nurses for advanced practice roles such as clinical experts, 

managers, educators and consultants as nurse practitioners leading to M.Sc. Nursing (NP in Family Health). 

IV. Objectives 

On completion of the program, the NPFH will be able to 

1. Assume responsibility and accountability to provide competent care to acutely and chronically ill patients 

and families using family centered approach in primary and secondary care centers/settings. 

2. Demonstrate clinical competence/expertise in providing care which includes assessment, diagnostic 

reasoning, monitoring, therapies, home care and rehabilitation. 

3. Apply theoretical, pathophysiological and pharmacological principles and evidence base in implementing 

care. 

4. Assess and participate in treating patients with critical illnesses to stabilize and restore patient’s health 

and minimize or manage complications independently or collaboratively as a part of team. 

5. Collaborate with other health care professionals in the team, across the continuum of care