Demand for Ayurveda nursing courses in Kerala shoots up

With Indian Ayurveda reaching out its benefits to the world and growth in the number of Ayurvedic healing spas and relaxation centres; demand for Ayurvedic nursing as a career is on a rise, especially among the youngsters of today.

Ayurvedic practitioners have been known to pass their knowledge from one generation to another, across many cities of South India. Kerala however, is the hub of Ayurveda practitioners and the Mecca of institutions which teach this alternate therapy of healing.

But knowledge which was previously kept under wraps is now out in the open due to globalisation and popularisation of this knowledge by spas of today. Thanks to this fact, Kerala is experiencing an increase in the number of youngsters wanting to take up Ayurvedic nursing as a full time career option.

While nursing was already a popular career with south Indians, especial from Kerala, there is a sudden increase in institutions providing courses in Ayurvedic nursing now. There are around 80 institutes in the state which offer three to six month courses in the field. A one year course of Ayurvedic nursing is in the pipeline at the Government Ayurveda College.

The reason behind this enhanced interest in the field is the growing popularity of this alternative healing methodology. The Ayurvedic industry in the state is growing by leaps and bounds, with a turnover of Rs 600-crore turnover. Trained therapists are in great demand which is only expected to increase with more and more resorts and players entering the arena.

It is expected that the demand of trained therapists will reach 20,000 in Kerala alone and with new courses in the offing, the state is all set to counter the demand with an equal if not more supply.

Kerala Ayurveda, one of the leading companies in the field has 30 centres. Its demand for good therapists is unending and difficult to meet at the moment. Thus, the company has stated its own training institute - Kerala Ayurveda Academy, to ensure it’s never short of perfectly trained therapists. The academy has updated course content in relation to the present day demands of therapists in spas and offers a six-month course in Ayurveda therapy.

The minimum qualification for the course is a plus two pass certificate. And the course fee ranges figures out to be around Rs.5000-10,000 for the whole course. Once the course is completed the pay scale ranges between an all inclusive Rs.7000 – Rs.10,000 per month with, if you are lucky, an accommodation thrown in as well.

Dhanwanthari Vaidyasala, Birla Kerala Vaidyashala, Ayurcare, etc are some of the other prominent Ayurvedic houses operating in the state. They all have a huge demand for Ayurvedic therapists. It is this demand that is even attracting students from states like Maharashtra to opt for the courses in Kerala. With large demand both overseas and within the country this career option sure has a bright future ahead.