Thinking About Becoming A Nurse In Nigeria?

There are two routes to becoming a nurse in Nigeria. Nigeria Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NN&MC), is the regulatory body for nursing in Nigeria.

Many nursing Schools will provide nursing students in Nigeria with degrees and certifications such as Registered Nurse, Registered Midwife, Bachelor of Nursing Sciences and post-doctorate programs as well.

General Nursing ProgrammeThe first degree available to nursing students in Nigeria is the General Nursing Programme, which results in students being awarded the Registered Nurse (RN) title over a three-year training. Prerequisites for admission to this program include the completion of a Senior Secondary School Certificate or equivalency, as well as five credits that must include a science (Biology/Health, Chemistry or Physics) and an English-language credit.

Once a student becomes a registered nurse, he may apply to a Post Basic Midwifery Programme to become a Registered Midwife (RM).

With an RN or RM to your name, students receive a Practicing License to begin a work-study program consisting of a year of professional on-the-job training. Here they gain experience registering patients and working towards a Clinical Specialization at the certificate level through professional programs. This can be in the fields on Nurse Anesthetist, Public Health Nursing, Pediatrics, Orthopedics. Ophthalmic or Occupational Health Nursing. Students can also receive credentials to work in Accident and Emergency Nursing, PeriOperative Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing, Burns and Plastic, Intensive Care, Ear, Nose and Throat Nursing, Cardiothoracic #Nursing or Nursing Administration. These specialization programs last the full calendar year, except for the Nurse Anesthetist program, which runs 18 months.

Alternatively, aspiring nurses in Nigeria can attend a five-year university where they can take courses in core subjects leading to a Bachelor of Nursing Sciences degree as well as study towards a RN, Registered Midwife ( #RM,) or Registered Public Health #Nurse ( #RPHN) award. As a prerequisite, students must complete five credit level passes in the West African Examinations Council ( #WAEC ) or Senior Secondary School Examination ( #SSCE) exams in one or two sittings in the subjects of all Mathematics, English, Chemistry, Biology and Physics. Completion of these programs must include a one-year internship in an approved health care facility.

Master or DoctorateTwo schools offer further credentials, a Master or Doctorate of Philosophy with a focus in Nursing. They are Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, and the University of Ibadan in Ibadan.