UGONSA CLARIFIES NOHE ON ELIGIBILITY FOR SCREENING AND SELECTION OF CANDIDATES FOR NURSING INTERNSHIP

The Medical Director,
National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu,
Enugu State, Nigeria.

Sir/Madam,

SOME SALIENT POINTS ON SCREENING AND SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES FOR THE NASCENT NURSING INTERNSHIP TRAINING FOR B.N.Sc DEGREE GRADUATES

We highly commend the ongoing effort of your Hospital to recruit nurse interns and wish to intimate you on some salient points that bother screening and selection of eligible candidates for the programme.

2. The release of the internship circular, Ref No. HCSF/EPO/EIR/CND/S.100/ST/97, on 8th September 2016, prompted the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) to declare official commencement of the internship training nationwide on February 3, 2017, vide a memo Ref No.N&MCN/SG/RO/CIR/24/VOL.4/4 with the release of the implementation guide for the programme.

3. Section 2.2 No.2 (page 4) of the internship guide stated that screening shall be based on institutional criteria.   

4. This clause was necessary to allow for flexibility for hospitals to use their discretion to handle areas of seeming controversy in the screening and selection of eligible candidates. 

5. At the time of the release of the circular in 2016 and throughout 2017 that the internship commenced, the issuance of provisional licences to fresh B.N.Sc graduates was not streamlined until the first quarter of 2018. Thus, most candidates who graduated in the year 2016 and 2017 received a permanent licence from the NMCN despite being eligible for running internship.

6. Thus, it is up to hospitals to work around the internship guide and consider screening and selection of candidates based on when they graduated from school in a match with when the internship circular was released.  

7. In lieu of this, candidates who graduated in the year 2016 and 2017 that received permanent licences when the nursing council was yet to streamline the issuance of provisional licences are eligible for screening and selection for internship. 

8. Kindly find attached documents for further guidance on the subject matter.

Thank you.

                                                                             Signed:

CHIEF (HON.) S.E.O. EGWUENU                                                       NURSE G.I. NSHI
National President                                                                                     National Secretary