Nursing vs Midwifery in Nigeria: qualifications, career paths, and licensing

Welcome to this guide on nursing and midwifery. Please note that Learn is an independent academic workspace and is not affiliated with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).

The NMCN is the statutory body that regulates both General Nursing and Midwifery in Nigeria. These are two distinct professional cadres, each playing a vital role in the healthcare system.

General Nursing leads to the Registered Nurse (RN) qualification. This profession provides broad, systemic patient care across a wide variety of specialties, including medical, surgical, paediatric, community, and mental health care.

Midwifery leads to the Registered Midwife (RM) qualification. This profession focuses specifically on maternal, newborn, and reproductive health care. A midwife is a specialist in ante-natal care, labour, post-natal care, and family planning.

To begin training in either profession, candidates must meet specific academic entry requirements. You can find complete details on our eligibility page. The standard requirement is five O'Level credits in English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, obtained in no more than two sittings.

There are two primary educational routes for prospective students. The first is the College or Hospital stream. Historically, Basic Nursing and Basic Midwifery ran as three-year diploma programmes in hospital-based colleges. Currently, these programmes are transitioning into a four-year collegiate ND/HND model.

It is important to note that the institutional transition speed from the old hospital three-year diploma to the new ND/HND collegiate model varies across state nursing colleges. Because both models currently exist depending on the institution, you must check the individual accreditation status of your chosen school on the NMCN approved list. For a closer look at the RN training structure, you can review our general nursing resources.

The second route is the university stream. The Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc) is a five-year degree programme. This university curriculum integrates General Nursing, Midwifery, and Public Health Nursing into a single degree. Upon graduation, students are eligible to hold multiple NMCN licences, including RN, RM, and Registered Public Health Nurse (RPHN).

Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives operate in different clinical environments based on their distinct training.

Registered Nurses are generalists who work in diverse settings. You will typically find RNs in hospital medical-surgical wards, intensive care units, paediatrics, emergency units, and community clinics.

Registered Midwives are specialists in maternal and newborn care. As explained in our midwifery guide, this maternal health focus means RMs primarily work in maternity hospitals, labour wards, ante-natal clinics, family planning centres, and primary health centres. Furthermore, midwives hold independent practice privileges in maternal care, allowing them to manage normal pregnancies and deliveries autonomously.

Many healthcare professionals choose to pursue both qualifications. Dual qualification is common and offers a significant career advantage in both Nigerian and international clinical settings.

A Registered Nurse can pursue a Post-Basic Midwifery course to earn the RM credential. This post-basic programme typically takes 18 months to complete. Conversely, a Registered Midwife can complete a Post-Basic Nursing programme to become an RN.

Please be aware that admission into a post-basic programme is not automatic. To qualify for dual training, you must already hold NMCN registration in your first profession and secure formal admission into an approved institution for your post-basic studies.

Regardless of whether you choose the nursing or midwifery pathway, all students must complete specific regulatory steps to practice legally.

During your training, you are required to maintain clinical logbooks and obtain an official index number. You can read more about student record verification on our indexing page.

To graduate, both RN and RM candidates must pass the NMCN Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE). When you are ready to prepare for this final assessment, you can study using our NMCN practice materials.

After successfully passing the PQE, graduates must apply for an official practicing licence before they can begin working. For detailed instructions on post-pass professional licensing, please visit our registration guide.