Nursing in Nigerian Universities And As A Career
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.
There are wide ranges of topics I will be discussing on this subject which includes best universities to study nursing in Nigeria, number of years to complete the course, how much it will cost to study nursing in Nigeria, does nurses go for NYSC, how much is a nurse paid, etc.
I will start by saying that 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 of nursing.
As I have mentioned above, there are questions I will be answering via this article. But I will explain a bit what nursing science is about. It merges 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
Number of years to complete Nursing
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.
Best Universities to Study Nursing in Nigeria
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.
Does Nurses go for NYSC
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.
How Much will it Cost to Study Nursing in Nigeria
This depends on the university you are attending in Nigeria. There are Federal Universities, Private Universities, and State Universities. So the cost differs based on the school you want to attend. Federal university is the cheapest followed by the state universities while private universities are expensive.
In federal University, it can take you close to N800,000 to finish your programme, a state university will be close to N1200000, and a private university can cost you close to 6-7million naira to complete your programme.
How Much is a Nurse paid
This depends on the health care institution you want to work for. A private health care institution that is yet to be established may pay close to N60,000 per month while state and federal health care institution will place you on their salary scale. To the best of my knowledge, federal workers are well paid especially those working in health sector.
I think all this information is an eye opener to the world of Nursing in Nigeria. If you have any question, you can drop in the comment section.
