Happy Morning Steemians, how is your day going? Today we'll be talking about one of the most respected and valued profession in the Health sector and in the world of professionalism Nursing

Who is a Nurse?

A Nurse is a highly skilled medical professional who takes care of the sick and injured people whose very importance and need shows when someone or a patient needs care and attention, Nurse are very compassionate and kind and they tend to connect with patients in the hospiatals and also play a vital role in the recovery process of a patient

Source

Requirements to study Nursing in Nigerian Institutions

NMCN gives license to Nurses in Nigeria to help them practice professionally after going through tough and thorough educational and clinical training and passed all the professional tests and examinations.

Becoming a nurse in Nigeria requires going through the nursing training either in School of Nursing, School of Basic midwifery or in a University.

Training in the School of nursing is for three years and its done in a hospital which earns an award of Certificate in General Nursing. This program is designed to nurses to learn in the classroom for half the period of the training while they spend the other half on clinical postings.

The school of basic midwifery also trains midwives for three years. Nurses are also trained in several universities in Nigeria and nursing in universities runs for five years and leads to the award of two professional certificates and a bachelor degree.

The university gives student nurses more time to learn in the classroom and lesser time for clinical postings, as compared to school of nursing and school of midwifery

In their fourth year in the university, they will write a professional examination for the award of a Certificate in General Nursing (RN) and, in the fifth year, they study Midwifery, and Public Health Nursing and at the end of the fifth year, they would write another professional exam that will earn them certificates as midwives (RM) and public health nurses (RPH).

You earn two professional certificates and also a bachelors degree. Which gives him or her an overall qualification of “Registered Nursing, Registered Midwifery, Registered Pharmacist and Bachelor of Nursing Science”

During your degree, you are expected to do the following:

•write reports and essays
•carry out research projects
•go for lectures and seminars
•go for practical demonstrations
•observe professional nurses at work
• supervised practice in nursing

Nursing is a very challenging course and you have to accept the fact that won’t have enough free time like other students, you’ll be spending up to 20 hours in classes, in addition to your placement shifts in the hospital as part of your training.

Benefits of being a Nurse;

•Helping Others : Nothing gives more joy and satisfaction than being in a position where you can always help people whether it is caring for patients at the bedside or fighting for patient rights.

•High Demand : The estimated ratio of employment for registered nurses is very high as both federal, state and private health sectors needs the services of a Nurse

•Earning Potential : The average salary earnings of a Nurse minus the wages and overtime is more than twice the minimum wage which is #30,000 (# represents Naira ~ Nigerian Currency)

•Diverse Opportunities : As a nurse, you have the opportunity to work not only in hospitals, health care centres but also in laboratories, airplanes millitary bases and campsites. ETC

•Flexible Schedules : Registered nurses cam choose between working full time, part time and on call basis.

•Trusted Profession : Nurses have been the profession that tops the chart when it comes to honesty and they have high ethics

•Work Wardrobe : As a nurse, you don't need to worry about what to wear to work because of the normal dress code of Scrubs and Clogs.

Types of Nurses in Nigeria according to their area of specialization

There are only eighteen areas of specialization or divisions for nurses in Nigeria and they are;

1. Accident and Emergency Nursing
2. Anaesthetic Nursing
3. Orthopaedic Nursing
4. Mental Health Nursing
5. Military nurse.
6. Prison nurse
7. Psychiatric nurse
8. Obstetrics and Gynaecological Nursing (midwifery)
9. Ophthalmic Nursing
10. Cardiothoracic Nursing
11. Renal Nursing
12. Peri-operative Nursing
13. Critical Care Nursing
14. Occupational Health Nursing
15. Clinical Research Nursing
16. Paediatric Nursing
17. Geriatric Nursing
18. Public Health Nursing.