Nursing is a profession that’s held in high esteem worldwide. Aside from the profession having a decent pay grade (depending on the country), there’re also many opportunities for nurses – you’re almost guaranteed a job after graduation.
For these reasons, nursing is a hot cake for Nigerian students – it’s not just their dream to study it but also the dream of their parents. Meanwhile, you’d get certain career advantages when looking at the best universities. Admittedly, every university in Nigeria doesn’t teach every course with the same degree of specialty, and nursing isn’t an exempted course – even though all calls pass minimum National University Commission (NUC) requirements.
Which School of Nursing is the Best in Nigeria?
Even though all schools for studying nursing in Nigeria are not equal, it’s hard to single out one and call it the best – there are many top-level institutions where you can study nursing in Nigeria. If you’re looking to study nursing in the best school in Nigeria, you’ve got some options to select from – which is a good thing for the educational system in general.
Top-level Schools to Study Nursing in Nigeria
As said earlier, there are many top-level institutions to study nursing in Nigeria. However, you want to ensure that this institution falls under a university, college of health sciences, or health technologies.
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University of Abuja School of Nursing Gwagwalada Abuja
When having a tour of the top nursing institutions in Nigeria, it’s no surprise you see a university in the Federal Capital Territory come up in the first spot. The university hosts a 4-year college course that, on completion, gives you a bachelor’s degree in nursing. They also offer a 2-year nursing program for people who have their ND and HND certificates but looking to further their education.
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School of Nursing University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH)
Aside from hosting medical students from the University of Benin, UBTH also runs a 3-year nursing program and 3-year training in midwifery. The school is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities putting it out there as one of the best in the country.
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The University of Nigeria Nsukka, School of Nursing
UNN is also another excellent choice for nursing aspirants in Nigeria. They offer a 5-year bachelor’s degree course in nursing. Also, they’re one of the most affordable nursing institutions in the country – the most affordable in this 3-school list.
Ways to Study Nursing in Nigeria
It’s a good thing when the educational system in a country is advanced to a level where pretty much all universities are on top of their game. Aside from getting proper knowledge and a good certificate, the student also benefits from the relatively reduced competition in getting their choice course of study.
For the case of studying nursing in Nigeria, we could say that many institutions are on top of their game because there are multiple methods available to get the degree. Students interested in becoming a nurse can go through the following routes:
- A 3-year basic general nursing program
- A standard 4/5-year generic bachelor’s degree in nursing
- A 3-year basic midwifery training program
- 4-year national diploma (ND) and higher national diploma (HND) in nursing
While these are the ways to own an institutionally certified nursing degree in Nigeria, private hospitals and clinics are also licensed to run IT programs for nurses before they come over to get a proper degree in any of the four options above.
Furthermore, these methods can also be combined to get an ever-solid degree. For example, students who go through ND and HND will typically add a bachelor’s degree to their collection if they intend on getting a masters to have a specialization. Similarly, a nurse who has completed the 3-year basic nursing program can also take on the 3-year basic midwifery training to become a registered midwife in Nigeria.
Certainly, adding all these qualification increases your chances of getting a more lucrative job, so if you can afford to go through with them, don’t hold back. At any rate, you want to pass through one of the four types of training to become a professional nurse in Nigeria.