No entrance test for paramedical courses; last date for application is September 10

The admissions for 13 graduate courses in the nursing/ paramedical fields in the government/ self financing colleges would be solely based on the marks scored for plus two. There won’t be an entrance test for the admission. The annual tuition fee in the government colleges would be Rs 20,000.; the exact amount is mentioned in the prospectus.

LBS Center for Science and Technology, an autonomous body established by the government of Kerala will be receiving the applications and preparing the rank list. For more information visit – www.lbscentre.kerala.gov.in . Ph – 0471 – 2560363.

The last date for online application is 10 September. Single application is enough for any number of courses. The application fee is Rs 600. Meanwhile, the fee for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities is Rs 300. The hard copies of the applications need not be sent via post. There are specific instructions for the candidates who apply for the services quota. Visit the website for more information about the application procedure.

Courses
BSc nursing, BSc MLT (Medical Lab Technology), BSc perfusion technology, BSc MRT (Medical Radiological Technology), BSc Optometry, BPT (physiotherapy), BASLP(Audiology and Speech Language Pathology), BCVT (Cardio Vascular Technology), BSc Dialysis Technology, BOT (Occupational Therapy), Bachelor of Medical Imaging Technology, Bachelor of Radiotherapy Technology and Bachelor of Neuro Technology are the courses.

The last three courses are awaiting approval from the government/universities to begin them at the government medical colleges.

The duration of the courses is 4 years. However, the students of physio/ occupational therapy has an additional 6 months of mandatory internship/ bonded service while it is up to 12 months for the nursing courses.

Perfusion technology is related to maintaining blood circulation using the bypass machine during cardiothoracic surgery. Meanwhile, in the medical imaging technology, the students have to undergo training in X ray, CT scan, MRI, ultra sonography and PET (Positron Emission Tomography). The marks obtained for plus two isn’t directly considered for the admission. Instead, the marks scored in the various streams (Kerala Higher Secondary, VHSC, CBSE, ICSE) would be normalized and calculated using specific methods.

Qualification
Usually, only Keralites are eligible for admission to these courses. Even though the applicants from Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) categories would be considered for admission, they do not have any reservation benefits. For admission to nursing, MLT and optometry courses, the candidates have to pass plus two with 50% marks in physics, chemistry, biology and English.

Meanwhile, 50% marks for Biology alone or a total of 50% for biology, physics and chemistry are required in case the applicant is seeking admission to perfusion technology, BCVT and BPT courses.

For BASLP, a total of at least 50% is required in physics and chemistry and one of biology/mathematics/ computer science/ statistics/ electronics/ psychology. Candidates applying for MRT, dialysis and occupational therapy should have passed plus two with a total of 50% marks in physics, chemistry and biology.

OBC candidates belonging to non creamy layer, Other Eligible Communities and physically disabled candidates require 45% marks. Meanwhile, the Scheduled Caste/Tribe communities only need to pass the exam to apply for these courses. The applicants, irrespective of the community, should have completed 17 years of age on 31 December 2021. There is no upper age limit for candidates who do not belong to the service quota.

Seat distribution
1)Government seats – These are the seats that are allotted by the LBS director. There are government seats in government colleges/ aided colleges and self financing management colleges that have entered into contracts with the government. 20% government seats in minority colleges would be filled by candidates belonging to the respective communities based on a merit rank list.
2)Management seats – The remaining seats that are not government seats.

Reservation
Besides central/ state government nominee and physically disabled candidates (5% in state quota), reservation of seats is available for ex servicemen, soldiers, sports persons, National Cadet Corps cadets and government nurses. Community based reservation policies for admission to professional colleges too would be followed.