Students yearly seek admissions into any available schools of nursing, colleges of health technology, or schools of hygiene. However, there will always confusions as to the requirements for each of the programmes.
Some students face certain dilemmas because not all schools are following the same guidelines in their admission processes. Hence, some likely questions have been compiled and will be answered in this post.
1. What is a school of nursing or college of nursing? Is there any difference?
Briefly, schools of nursing and colleges of nursing are used interchangeably. So, no difference.
Schools of Nursing are higher institutions of learning established to practically train students to become practicing nurses and on graduation, be ready to be jobs in any available hospitals in the country.
School or college of Nursing course is usually run under the teaching hospital of a university. In other words, you earn your certificate under the school of nursing/Teaching Hospital but not under the university administering the Teaching Hospital (as in the case of BSN)
To understand the differences between Bsc Nursing and Registered Nursing, I suggest you read my post, “School of Nursing VS BSc Nursing: Which one is Better for you?”
2. What is the School of Hygiene?
A school of hygiene trains to cater to environmental influence; explores the affection of mental and physical health of people.
The primary aim of the school of hygiene is to train specialists saddle with improving behavior through useful practices connected to personal, water, food, domestic and public hygiene.
3. What is a School or College of Health Technology?
They are generally established to train competent health care providers to meet the ever-changing health needs of individuals and communities with a view to attaining a level of health that will be productive and useful to the community and the larger society.
In most cases, colleges of health are also regarded as the school of hygiene. They are also schools of Health Information Management.
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4. What are the differences and relationships among them?
Generally, they all aim at health care and management. Their graduates work as employees in health sectors such as hospitals, clinics, maternity centers, Ministries of health, etc.
However, they are professionally limited by work scope. In other words, there are always limits to what one can do which the others can’t or where one can work that the other can’t.
5. How can I obtain a Nursing, Health Tech, or school of hygiene form?
Mostly, schools sell their forms directly from their websites. Hence, you may buy the form online and fill it directly on the school’s portals.
Some sell forms through banks and give paper forms to the applicants to fill and submit.
Check your interested school’s website for their adverts or check national dailies to know their own modalities. See 55+ Schools/Colleges of Nursing and Health Technology in Nigeria
6. What are the SSCE results acceptable for a school of nursing, health tech. or hygiene?
All these schools accept WAEC and NECO. While some accept single sitting ONLY, most still consider two sittings.
However, where they accept two sittings, they may not accept a combination of different types of exams. For instance, the school may only accept WAEC plus WAEC or NECO plus NECO but not WAEC plus NECO. This is not general, however.
Some also accept the combination of the two e.g Kaduna State College of nursing etc
Find out from the school, the combination they accept if you fall into this category.
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7. Do they Accept the NABTEB result or its combination with WAEC or NECO?
Yes, but not all.
NABTEB is not acceptable by most (if not all) Nursing schools (and for any health courses).
However, all colleges of health technology and hygiene consider NABTEB for their admission. For instance Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu accepts NABTEB. Some of the schools of nursing that accept NABTEB is Kastina State School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCH Ibadan School of Nursing, etc.
It’s safe to conclude that NABTEB is accepted by all schools of Nursing and colleges of health. However, be sure you check the advert of a school before considering it.
8. Does the School of Nursing, Health Tech, or Hygiene require JAMB results?
Ordinarily, a school of Nursing programme is a three-year course. And after completion, you’re to proceed to work or consider furthering to another stage called the school of midwifery or a conventional university, for a degree in Nursing, through the JAMB Direct Entry.
In this case, you won’t need JAMB results for a school of nursing. But for a degree in Nursing through UTME, you will need certain cut-off marks.
Meanwhile, a college of health technology or hygiene may require JAMB results but not for all the courses. They may require JAMB where you apply for a course leading to the award of National Diploma (ND). Why?
Both programmes are run like conventional polytechnic programmes such that, candidates start with the ND stage and later to the HND stage. And just like any other college or polytechnic, you will JAMB UTME to process their admissions which may require certain UTME cut-off marks.
This is why you may be asked to use the JAMB result since your JAMB registration number will be used for your NYSC mobilization registration.
However, not all schools of health technology or hygiene ask for JAMB results. They may ask you to do JAMB regularization later for the NYSC mobilization purpose.
Find out from the school to know if they need JAMB or check their application adverts to see such conditions.
Recommended: Can I Use Two Results for School of Nursing/Health?
9. Can I go to NYSC after the school of Nursing course?
No.
You can’t go to NYSC after you’re done with your three-year nursing course. Why?
This is because a school of nursing is not a conventional university.
You can only be eligible for NYSC if you further your study to university. Read the answer below for more.
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10. How can I go to NYSC after school of Nursing, Health Technology, or Hygiene?
If you intend to partake in NYSC, you will have to proceed with your studies. Hence, after your RN, you will obtain a JAMB direct entry form (DE) and consider a university offering nursing.
Note that JAMB DE applicants don’t write UTME.
You’ll be offered admission into the 200 level of the school’s nursing department. You then spend another 4 years to complete Bsc Nursing. Only after that, you can be mobilized for NYSC.
Note that BSC Nursing is a 5-year programme if you’d gained admission to the school through JAMB UTME instead of JAMB DE.
Both schools of health technology and hygiene give you the chance to continue to the HND level of your course. Hence, you can be mobilized for NYSC after your HND in such programme.
Note equally that, I will keep updating this post to address some pressing issues. Kindly, subscribe to the blog if you love to receive such updates in the future.