15/04/2017
OPINION ON HND NURSING
Right from onset, nursing schools has been offering a professional qualification which is RN to students that have completed their 3years of training and meet up with Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria's requirement of which could earn the individual a good job to take care of self and family.
A stagnant water will always constitute a nuisance to itself and immediate environment therefore, a lot of changes has erupted since the emergence of Alhaji Abubakar(new NMCN registrar) in 2016.
It is quite obvious that other health care personnels that were nowhere before are now struggling with nursing and are upgrading themselves academically while nursing remains at its state of evolution devoid of professional upgrade due to dichotomy of ideas and schools of thought of its various components that now criticize their basis of professionalism(RN) and as time pass by,people see nursing profession as not being relevant in the health sector.Hence, the need for quick intervention.
WHY NOT BNSC
It would have been quiet remarkable if schools of nursing could be affiliated with universities or absorbed into the universities and offer a degree certificate after their programme but here are my questions:
1.How many nursing tutors are qualified to be a university lecturer
2.how many nursing schools can meet up with NUC requirements
3.How many tutors are ready to upgrade their level within fews years
4.Hw many states are ready to upgrade and meet up with the current university requirements
5.When soon will the states' acceptance of this university requirement nation wide,so why not start now
Implication
-All tutors without masters or PhD will be sent back home or to the ward
-There will be need for employment of new qualified staffs
-Close down of schools of nursing that could not meet up with the requirements.
-blurred future for the coming generation with prolonged and non promising expectations
THEN WHY HND
-The launching point of the missile of professionalism:a step forward
-it is an additional academic qualification with the professional qualification
-Since RN are being employed based on HND level then there is need to Offer the certificate at the training level too
-RN+RM+RPHN+R........ are all professional qualification and can not be equivalent to one academic qualification either HND or BNSC irrespective of number of years spent
-Both BNSC and HND Offers RN, RM and RPHN
GET IT CLEAR
-Duration of HND programme will be Four years in which we have ND 1,ND2,HND1 and HND 2. Council exam will be written at HND1 level while students can register for either RM or RPHN all within the 4yrs training
-Both HND and BNSC holders will go for NYSC
-HND +NYSC can then further to go for post graduate diploma(PGD) and after that is masters and PhD.
-At masters level both HND and NYSC can specialize on any field of interest
Therefore with the analysis made above, Nursing is really progressing and it is moving forward compared to what it was before.
WHAT OF RN THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE SYSTEM?
GOOD NEWS: A long awaited abridge programme that ought to have began since 10yrs ago in University of Ibadan is finally set to commence in 2017 in which people with RN certificate will undergo a 2yrs training program and a degree certificate will be awarded to them thereafter.
CONCLUSION
Nursing is ours, we say no to dichotomy based on individual's selfish interest because we are moving and we continue to move. Our leaders are trying their best to make things easy for those that are coming and before we criticize any action lets get things right and clear.
Your great ideas are always welcome therefore let us contribute our own quota in making the best out of nursing profession. We should also appreciate and support the effort of our leaders to ensure the profession moves out from nothing to something.Let it be a taboo for you and I to bow out of this profession without making impact
Nursing! A Noble Profession!!
Aluta continua!
Victoria ascertia!!!
