Nursing in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions And Admission Pathway
Nursing Science happens to be one of the most competitive courses and also a lucrative course to study in the University. The reason is that the health care system in the world especially Nigeria needs more professionals to give quality health care services. And to achieve this, health sector has been offering attractive remunerations to her workers.
In Nigeria, there are two options to become a nurse. The first one is to study it in the university (this is a university degree pathway and leads to award of Bachelor of Nursing Science) while the second one is to attend a school of nursing. The second option is a 3-year basic program and you are trained to be a certified nurse. On graduating from the school, you are awarded Registered Nurse (RN) certificate otherwise known as Basic Nursing Certificate (BNC). BNC could be view as a professional programme that earns you a license to practice as a Registered Nurse in any health care institution and you are placed on the same salary grade as HND holders (Level 8, step 1). However, you don’t need to write JAMB to gain admission into any college or school.
It is worth noting that some school of nursing now offers OND and HND nursing. This means if you completed the HND, you will be eligible to go for NYSC. If you follow this route, you will spend 4 years + 1 year industrial training.
This course deals with merging the worlds of natural, applied, and human science into a multi-dimensional lens that explores new and better ways to deliver health services.
Read: Approved scheme of service for nurses
It will take you 3 years if you want to follow a pathway of certificate programme offered in school of Nursing (BNC). But if you want to follow a University based pathway i.e. a degree programme, it will take you five years to complete the programme. However, those that take a certificate pathway may do direct entry into the university after completion and they will only spend four (4) years in the university to obtain the degree.
The universities I am about to list are based on their national and global ranking. Majority of them are among the top 1000 in the world and top 5 in Nigeria.
- University of Ibadan
- University of Lagos
- Lagos State University
- University of Nigeria
- University of Benin
All the above named universities are competitive and you need to meet all their admission requirements for Nursing before you can be offered admission. The Universities are tested and trusted over years for giving quality education to their students.
To be qualified to participate in the compulsory one year NYSC, you must be a Nigerian graduates who have the stipulated qualification of (B.Sc, B.A or HND) from approved or accredited institution by NUC, NBTE or NCCE. So a graduate of school of nursing doesn’t fall under this category except he/she goes to a university to obtain a degree in Nursing or holds HND.
