The Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission has invited online applications for 5,989 Nursing Officer vacancies under the Health & Family Welfare Department of the Government of Odisha.
The recruitment is being conducted under Advertisement No. IIE-54/2026-1962/OSSSC, dated 12 June 2026. These are District Cadre Group C posts distributed across all 30 districts of Odisha. Selected candidates will ordinarily be posted and transferred within their allotted district. The appointing authorities may also deploy selected Nursing Officers as Community Health Officers where required.
OSSSC has extended the application schedule. Online registration or re-registration can now be completed until 5 August 2026, while the complete online application must be submitted by 12 August 2026. Registration alone is not considered a completed application.
OSSSC Nursing Officer Recruitment 2026 overview
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Recruiting authority | Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission |
| Department | Health & Family Welfare Department, Odisha |
| Post | Nursing Officer |
| Advertisement number | IIE-54/2026-1962/OSSSC |
| Total vacancies | 5,989 |
| Cadre | District Cadre, Group C |
| Districts covered | All 30 districts of Odisha |
| Application mode | Online |
| Registration deadline | 5 August 2026 |
| Application deadline | 12 August 2026 |
| Qualification | +2 with GNM or B.Sc. Nursing |
| Age limit | 21–42 years |
| Pay scale | ₹29,200–₹92,300 |
| Pay Matrix | Level 8, Cell 1 |
| Examination fee | ₹500, subject to exemption and refund rules |
| Selection | Written examination and document verification |
| Examination date | To be announced |
The total vacancy figure, district-cadre nature of the posts and departmental placement are confirmed by the OSSSC advertisement and the Odisha government’s published short notification.
Latest deadline extension
The original advertisement provided registration until 6 July and final submission until 13 July 2026. A corrigendum dated 6 July initially extended these dates to 20 and 27 July.
OSSSC issued a further notice on 13 July 2026, superseding those dates with the following final schedule:
| Activity | Revised deadline |
|---|---|
| Online registration or re-registration | 5 August 2026 |
| Submission of complete online application | 12 August 2026 |
All other conditions contained in the advertisement and corrigendum remain unchanged.
Important dates
| Recruitment event | Date |
|---|---|
| Short advertisement | 11 June 2026 |
| Detailed advertisement | 12 June 2026 |
| Online registration started | 13 June 2026 |
| Corrigendum issued | 6 July 2026 |
| Latest deadline-extension notice | 13 July 2026 |
| Last date for registration/re-registration | 5 August 2026 |
| Last date to submit online application | 12 August 2026 |
| Written examination date | To be announced |
| Admission letter | Before the examination |
| Answer key | To be announced |
| Written result | To be announced |
| Document verification | To be announced |
| Final district allocation | To be announced |
Candidates should complete both registration and final application submission. Merely obtaining a user ID or completing re-registration does not constitute a valid application.
OSSSC Nursing Officer vacancy details
A total of 5,989 vacancies have been distributed across Odisha’s 30 district establishments.
Category-wise vacancies
| Category | Other vacancies | Women vacancies | Combined total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unreserved | 1,880 | 941 | 2,821 |
| Scheduled Tribe | 1,057 | 531 | 1,588 |
| Scheduled Caste | 645 | 326 | 971 |
| SEBC | 406 | 203 | 609 |
| Total | 3,988 | 2,001 | 5,989 |
Women’s vacancies are shown separately in the official district and category matrix. Special-category reservations are included within the overall total and do not create additional posts.
Special-category reservation
| Special category | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Ex-servicemen | 180 |
| Sportspersons | 60 |
| Visual impairment | 60 |
| Hearing impairment | 60 |
| Orthopaedic impairment | 60 |
| Multiple disabilities | 60 |
| Total special-category positions | 480 |
Candidates claiming PwD reservation must possess a permanent disability certificate showing at least 40% disability and must meet the prescribed functional and physical requirements for the Nursing Officer post.
District-wise vacancy distribution
The official Annexure I distributes the 5,989 vacancies as follows.
| District | Vacancies | District | Vacancies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angul | 486 | Koraput | 619 |
| Bargarh | 185 | Malkangiri | 75 |
| Bhadrak | 181 | Mayurbhanj | 292 |
| Balasore | 347 | Nuapada | 75 |
| Balangir | 355 | Nabarangpur | 317 |
| Boudh | 48 | Nayagarh | 236 |
| Cuttack | 473 | Puri | 152 |
| Deogarh | 51 | Rayagada | 104 |
| Dhenkanal | 114 | Sambalpur | 86 |
| Gajapati | 79 | Subarnapur | 87 |
| Ganjam | 386 | Sundargarh | 125 |
| Jagatsinghpur | 112 | ||
| Jajpur | 221 | ||
| Jharsuguda | 37 | ||
| Kalahandi | 143 | ||
| Kandhamal | 100 | ||
| Kendrapara | 174 | ||
| Keonjhar | 197 | ||
| Khordha | 132 | ||
| Total | 5,989 |
Koraput has the highest number of vacancies with 619 posts, followed by Angul with 486 and Cuttack with 473.
District preference
Applicants must enter their preferred districts in order while completing the online application.
District preference does not guarantee appointment in the preferred district. Final allocation will depend on:
- Written-examination merit
- Candidate category
- Availability of vacancies
- District preferences
- Successful document verification
- Applicable reservation rules
OSSSC may later allow shortlisted candidates to revise their district preferences or may conduct physical counselling for district allocation.
Educational qualification
Candidates must have passed +2 under the 10+2 system or an equivalent examination and possess one of the following professional qualifications:
- Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery; or
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The GNM or B.Sc. Nursing qualification must have been obtained from an eligible medical college, hospital, university or institution recognized by the Indian Nursing Council or another competent authority.
Nursing Council registration
Candidates must be registered with the appropriate Nursing Council and possess a valid registration or renewal certificate on the date they submit the online application.
The registration certificate must be uploaded with the application. Candidates who do not possess a valid Nursing Council registration or renewal certificate by the application-submission date may not satisfy the eligibility conditions.
Odia-language requirement
Applicants must be able to speak, read and write Odia. They must satisfy at least one of these conditions:
- Passed the Middle School examination with Odia as a language subject;
- Passed Matriculation or an equivalent examination with Odia as the medium in non-language subjects;
- Passed Odia as a language subject in Class VII or above from a recognized institution; or
- Passed the Middle English School Standard Odia-language test conducted by the School and Mass Education Department of Odisha.
Proof of satisfying the Odia-language condition must be produced during document verification.
Age limit
Age is calculated as on the advertisement date, 12 June 2026.
| Age condition | Limit |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 21 years |
| Maximum age | 42 years |
The date of birth recorded in the HSC, Matriculation or equivalent certificate will be treated as final.
Age relaxation
| Category | Upper-age relaxation |
|---|---|
| SC | 5 years |
| ST | 5 years |
| SEBC | 5 years |
| Women | 5 years |
| Persons with disabilities | 10 years |
| Ex-servicemen | Length of eligible defence service |
| Contractual Nursing Officers and ASHAs | Maximum age up to 45 years |
PwD candidates belonging to SC, ST or SEBC categories may receive cumulative relaxation under the applicable Odisha rules.
Contractual Nursing Officers engaged under Odisha State Health and Family Welfare Society schemes and eligible ASHAs must upload their appointment or experience certificates with self-attestation when claiming the special upper-age limit.
Examination fee
Candidates other than SC, ST and PwD must pay an examination fee of ₹500.
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Unreserved | ₹500 |
| SEBC | ₹500 |
| Women belonging to non-exempt categories | ₹500 |
| SC | No fee |
| ST | No fee |
| PwD | No fee |
The ₹500 examination fee will be refunded to candidates who actually appear in the written examination. Candidates who remain absent will not receive a refund. The refund will normally be credited to the same bank account or payment method used during registration.
Salary and pay level
The Nursing Officer post carries:
₹29,200–₹92,300, Pay Matrix Level 8, Cell 1 under the Odisha Revised Scales of Pay Rules, 2017.
Selected candidates may also receive admissible allowances and service benefits according to Odisha government rules.
OSSSC Nursing Officer examination pattern
The written examination will consist of one objective paper conducted through OMR or Computer-Based Recruitment Examination mode. The exact examination mode will be notified later.
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing subjects from the prescribed syllabus | 60 | 60 |
| Questions based on practical skills | 25 | 25 |
| Arithmetic at HSC standard | 10 | 10 |
| English at HSC standard | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
Examination duration: Two hours
Question type: Multiple-choice questions
Marks per question: One mark
Negative marking: 0.25 mark for every incorrect answer
Giving more than one answer to a question will be treated as an incorrect response. No penalty applies to an unanswered question.
Minimum qualifying marks
| Candidate category | Minimum qualifying marks |
|---|---|
| SC | 30% |
| ST | 30% |
| PwD | 30% |
| Ex-servicemen | 30% |
| Sportspersons | 30% |
| All other candidates | 35% |
Merely obtaining the minimum qualifying percentage does not guarantee selection. Candidates will be ranked according to their written-test marks or normalized scores and the available vacancies.
Revised tie-breaking rules
OSSSC’s 6 July corrigendum deleted the earlier rule that gave preference to candidates with fewer wrong attempts.
When two or more candidates secure the same written-test score, the revised sequence is:
- Candidate with the higher percentage in GNM or B.Sc. Nursing;
- Older candidate;
- Candidate with higher marks in +2 or an equivalent examination;
- Any additional criterion decided by the Commission when the tie remains unresolved.
Candidates should follow the corrigendum rather than the original “fewer wrong attempts” rule printed in the first advertisement.
OSSSC Nursing Officer syllabus
The professional nursing portion covers the following subjects:
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Microbiology
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Nursing Foundation
- First Aid
- Community Health Nursing
- Nutrition
- Medical Surgical Nursing or Adult Health Nursing
- Mental Health Nursing
- Child Health Nursing
- Midwifery and Gynaecological Nursing
- Nursing Education
- Research and Statistics
- Professionalism, professional values and ethics
- Nursing Administration and Management
Medical Surgical Nursing or Adult Health Nursing will follow the revised B.Sc. Nursing syllabus referred to in the advertisement.
Selection process
The recruitment process consists primarily of:
- Online application
- Written examination
- Publication of answer key and objection process
- Preparation of provisional master merit list
- Screening for document verification
- Verification of original certificates
- District preference or counselling, where required
- District-wise provisional selection
- Appointment by the competent authority
There is no interview mentioned in the selection process.
Document-verification shortlisting
Candidates securing the prescribed qualifying marks will be placed in the provisional master merit list.
OSSSC states that candidates may be shortlisted for document verification in a number not less than approximately 1.25 times the advertised vacancies, category-wise and special-category-wise. The Commission may call additional candidates when vacancies are unlikely to be filled from the first screening list.
Documents required
Candidates should prepare the following original documents and supporting copies:
- Nursing Council registration or renewal certificate
- HSC or Class 10 certificate
- +2 certificate and marksheet
- GNM diploma and marksheets
- B.Sc. Nursing degree and marksheets, where applicable
- Odia-language qualification certificate
- SC, ST or SEBC certificate
- Permanent disability certificate and UDID card
- Ex-serviceman discharge certificate and identity card
- Contractual Nursing Officer or ASHA experience certificate
- Sportsperson identity card
- Recent photograph
- Full signature
- Government-issued identity proof
- Application confirmation page and fee receipt
Candidates must produce their original certificates when called for document verification. Failure to attend verification or produce the required documents may result in rejection.
Photograph and signature requirements
Candidates should keep the following scanned files ready:
| Document | Format | File size |
|---|---|---|
| Full specimen signature | JPG, JPEG or PNG | 20–50 KB |
| Recent passport-size colour photograph | JPG, JPEG or PNG | 20–100 KB |
The photograph and signature must be clearly visible and identifiable. Candidates should also use their own active email address and mobile number throughout the recruitment process.
How to apply online
- Open the official OSSSC website.
- Select Apply Online.
- Fresh applicants should choose the New User registration option.
- Candidates already registered for an earlier OSSSC recruitment should log in and complete re-registration.
- Finish the registration or re-registration process.
- Log in again to open the Nursing Officer online application.
- Enter educational and Nursing Council registration details.
- Select districts in order of preference.
- Enter reservation and age-relaxation claims.
- Upload the photograph, signature and required certificates.
- Pay the examination fee when applicable.
- Review every entry carefully.
- Submit the complete online application by 12 August 2026.
- Download and preserve the confirmation page.
Registration and application submission are separate operations. Candidates must complete the final application after registration.
Admission letter
The date, time and examination venue will be communicated through a notice and admission letter published on the OSSSC website.
Eligible candidates must download their admission letters using their user ID and password. OSSSC will not send printed admission letters through post.
Use Regal Career Tools Before Applying Online
Before starting the online application, candidates should keep their photograph, signature, identity details, educational certificates and other required documents ready in the prescribed format. Regal Career provides free online application tools that can help candidates prepare these files quickly and reduce the risk of upload errors while completing the recruitment form.
Candidates can use the Photo and Signature Resizer to adjust their photograph and signature according to the required dimensions and file size. The Image Compressor can reduce oversized JPG, PNG or WebP files without making them difficult to read, while the Signature Cropper helps remove unnecessary blank space around a scanned signature. Applicants who need a formal application photograph can also use the Passport Photo Maker to prepare a clean passport-size image.
Some recruitment forms also require a handwritten declaration in a specific size. The Declaration Resizer can help candidates resize and optimise the declaration before uploading it. Applicants may visit the Regal Career Application Tools section to access these utilities before submitting the form. Candidates should still compare the final image dimensions, file format and file size with the exact instructions given in the official recruitment notification.
Suggested Tools To Apply Online
- Online application tools → All Application Tools page
- Photo and Signature Resizer → Photo and Signature Resizer tool
- Image Compressor → Image Compressor tool
- Signature Cropper → Signature Cropper tool
- Passport Photo Maker → Passport Photo Maker tool
- Declaration Resizer → Declaration Resizer tool
- Regal Career Application Tools → Main tools hub
Current recruitment-cycle status
| Recruitment stage | Status |
|---|---|
| Short advertisement | Released |
| Detailed advertisement | Released |
| Corrigendum | Released |
| Deadline-extension notice | Released |
| Online registration | Open |
| Registration deadline | 5 August 2026 |
| Online application | Open |
| Application deadline | 12 August 2026 |
| Examination date | Awaited |
| Admission letter | Awaited |
| Answer key | Awaited |
| Written result | Awaited |
| Document verification | Awaited |
| District allocation | Awaited |
| Final selection | Awaited |
The OSSSC homepage currently shows the Nursing Officer extension notice as its latest recruitment update.
Important links
| Activity | Status |
|---|---|
| Online registration and application | Available through OSSSC |
| Detailed Nursing Officer advertisement | Available |
| Corrigendum dated 6 July 2026 | Available |
| Deadline-extension notice dated 13 July 2026 | Available |
| Written examination notice | Awaited |
| Admission letter | Awaited |
| Answer key | Awaited |
| Result | Awaited |
| Official OSSSC homepage | Available |
Candidates should use the official OSSSC portal for registration, application submission, examination notices, admission letters and results.
Frequently asked questions
How many OSSSC Nursing Officer vacancies are available?
OSSSC has advertised 5,989 District Cadre Nursing Officer posts across all 30 districts of Odisha.
What is the latest registration deadline?
The final date for registration or re-registration is 5 August 2026.
What is the last date to submit the application?
The complete online application must be submitted by 12 August 2026.
What qualification is required?
Candidates need +2 or an equivalent qualification together with GNM or B.Sc. Nursing and a valid Nursing Council registration or renewal certificate.
What is the age limit?
Candidates must generally be between 21 and 42 years as on 12 June 2026, with category-based relaxation.
What is the application fee?
Candidates other than SC, ST and PwD must pay ₹500. The fee will be refunded to candidates who appear in the written examination.
Do women candidates receive complete fee exemption?
Not automatically. Women belonging to a non-exempt category must pay ₹500. Exemption applies to SC, ST and PwD candidates under the advertisement.
What is the Nursing Officer salary?
The pay scale is ₹29,200–₹92,300 under Pay Matrix Level 8, Cell 1.
Is there negative marking?
Yes. A deduction of 0.25 mark applies to each incorrect answer.
Is there an interview?
No interview is mentioned. Selection is based on the written examination, document verification and district-wise allocation.
Can candidates choose their posting district?
Candidates can submit district preferences, but allocation depends on merit, category, preference and vacancy availability. The preferred district is not guaranteed.
Conclusion
OSSSC Nursing Officer Recruitment 2026 provides 5,989 government nursing opportunities across all 30 districts of Odisha.
Eligible candidates with +2, GNM or B.Sc. Nursing and valid Nursing Council registration should complete registration by 5 August 2026 and submit the complete online application by 12 August 2026.
The selection examination will contain 100 questions covering nursing subjects, practical skills, arithmetic and English. Candidates should begin preparation while monitoring the official OSSSC portal for the examination date and admission letter.