The Kagithapatarai Campus is home to the College of Nursing and also provides accommodation to more than 200 families of faculty members. It is a vibrant campus where both nursing students and medical professionals live side by side. There are a number of amenities for the residents, including various courts for sports and creches. The Florence Taylor Memorial Library for nursing students, UG & PG Nursing Students’ Hostel, faculty residential areas and the Chapel of Friendship are located inside the campus.
College of Nursing
The College of Nursing is committed to preparing compassionate, competent, and dedicated nurses equipped to provide high-quality care across diverse healthcare settings.
The College combines education, clinical practice, research, and community engagement, with a strong focus on advancing nursing practice and meeting the changing healthcare needs of the country. It has contributed to national and international nursing development through specialised training programmes, including community health nursing, midwifery, adult nursing, emergency and trauma nursing, simulation training, stoma care, peritoneal dialysis, and chemotherapy. Recognised as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Development since 2003, the College also publishes the Indian Journal of Continuing Nursing Education, a biannual, open-access national nursing journal established in 2000.
The College has built collaborations with institutions in India and overseas and has been recognised for its contribution to nursing education. It received an ‘A’ grade from NAAC in 2023 in its first accreditation cycle and was recognised by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of Excellence in India’ in 2000. Its commitment to extending nursing education is also reflected in the College of Nursing established at CMC Vellore’s Chittoor Campus in 2019, offering the B.Sc. Nursing programme with an annual intake of 50 students.
Over 100 years of nursing education
In December 2009, CMC celebrated the centenary year for nursing education, having started the Lower Grade Nursing Course for girls in 1909. Apart from this historic milestone, CMC was also the first in the country to offer the graduate nursing course in 1946. In the early days, parents were hesitant to send their daughters for training. The nursing pioneers, along with CMC’s founder, Dr. Ida Scudder, used to visit schools throughout South India to persuade girls and their parents to choose a career in nursing. Today, nursing education in CMC is much sought-after and its programmes span Diploma and B.Sc. Nursing, postgraduate programmes in five specialities, and doctoral education, providing students with opportunities to develop expertise across a wide range of nursing disciplines.
In its centenary year, the College of Nursing moved out of the main hospital premises to a sprawling new campus in Kagithapattarai, very close to the hospital. The Nursing Campus includes, apart from the College of Nursing, hostels for student nurses, administrative offices, spacious classrooms, a digital library, a conference room, and a chapel, all surrounding airy courtyards.
Public Health Nursing
Public Health Nursing in the Indian context is an important part of the curriculum. The College strongly emphasizes preventive and promotive health. A nurse managed outreach programme, CONCH (College of Nursing Community Health), was launched in 1987. This covers 63,000 people living in 20 villages and semi urban areas adjoining Vellore town. All nursing students participate and become familiar with needs of the community. Maternal, child health and morbidity clinics and home health services are conducted regularly by the CONCH staff. Referrals are made to CMC and government health care facilities, where necessary.
Location of the Campus
The Kagithapattarai Campus is located one kilometre away from the Town Campus. Buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws are available from the Katpadi Railway junction to the Kagithapattarai campus.
