The 10 Highest Paid Nursing Specialties in Nigeria: A Look at Lucrative Careers in Healthcare

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You may be wondering which is the highest paid nursing specialty in Nigeria?

Nursing is one of the noblest professions in Nigeria, with myriads of amazing prospects for nurses in clinical practice, education, research, entrepreneurship, and administration.

Against the odds of quack infiltration, the profession through the regulatory body – Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), has been able to uphold a world-class standard of education, practice competence, and a fair public image.

These glitters account for the stiff competition that is involved in securing an admission in the university to pursue a career in nursing.

In Nigeria, nurses with specialized skills and expertise in specific areas can enjoy excellent career prospects and impressive compensation.

In this article, we delve into the top highest paid nursing specialties in Nigeria, providing an overview of their definitions, responsibilities, and the monthly salaries they command. Whether you’re a nursing student considering a specialty or an experienced nurse looking to transition into a more lucrative field, this article will help you explore the possibilities.

Note: The salary depends on your years of experience and the hospital/institution you are working for.

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Highest Paid Nursing Specialties in Nigeria
Conclusion

Highest Paid Nursing Specialties in Nigeria

Nursing specialties encompass various areas of expertise where nurses can focus their practice. These specialties require additional education, training, and certification beyond the standard nursing degree, allowing nurses to specialize in specific patient populations, medical conditions, or care settings. Let’s take a closer look at the 10 highest paid nursing specialties in Nigeria:

1. Nurse Anesthetist

Definition: Nurse anesthetists work closely with anesthesiologists to administer anesthesia and monitor patients during surgical procedures.
Responsibilities: Preoperative assessment, anesthesia administration, patient monitoring, post-anesthesia care.
Monthly Salary: ₦200,000 to ₦1,200,000.

2. Nurse Practitioner (NP)

Definition: Nurse practitioners are advanced practice nurses who provide primary and specialty healthcare services, often working independently or alongside physicians.
Responsibilities: Diagnosing and treating patients, prescribing medication, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, providing patient education.
Monthly Salary: ₦250,000 to ₦1,000,000.

3. Nurse Midwife

Definition: Nurse midwives specialize in providing comprehensive healthcare to women, including prenatal care, childbirth assistance, and reproductive health services.
Responsibilities: Prenatal care, labor and delivery assistance, postpartum care, family planning, gynecological exams.
Monthly Salary: ₦200,000 to ₦800,000.

4. Nurse Manager

Definition: Nurse managers oversee nursing units or departments within healthcare facilities, coordinating patient care, managing staff, and ensuring operational efficiency.
Responsibilities: Staff management, resource allocation, policy implementation, quality assurance.
Monthly Salary: ₦180,000 to ₦800,000.

5. Nurse Informaticist

Definition: Nurse informaticists combine nursing expertise with information technology to manage and improve healthcare data and systems.
Responsibilities: Data analysis, system implementation, electronic health record management, workflow optimization.
Monthly Salary: ₦180,000 to ₦800,000.

6. Nurse Educator

Definition: Nurse educators play a crucial role in training and mentoring future nurses, teaching in academic institutions, and providing continuing education to practicing nurses.
Responsibilities: Curriculum development, classroom instruction, clinical supervision, research.
Monthly Salary: ₦150,000 to ₦800,000.

7. Nurse Researcher

Definition: Nurse researchers conduct scientific studies and contribute to evidence-based practice, exploring new approaches to healthcare and improving patient outcomes.
Responsibilities: Study design, data collection and analysis, publication of research findings.
Monthly Salary: ₦130,000 to ₦700,000.

8. Nurse Case Manager

Definition: Nurse case managers coordinate and manage patient care across various healthcare settings, ensuring seamless transitions and optimal outcomes.
Responsibilities: Care coordination, discharge planning, resource utilization, patient advocacy.
Monthly Salary: ₦120,000 to ₦700,000.

9. Pediatric Nurse

Definition: Pediatric nurses specialize in providing care to infants, children, and adolescents, working in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings.
Responsibilities: Pediatric assessments, medication administration, family support, patient education.
Monthly Salary: ₦120,000 to ₦700,000.

10. Critical Care Nurse

Definition: Critical care nurses work in intensive care units (ICUs) and specialized critical care settings, caring for critically ill patients and supporting their families.
Responsibilities: Advanced monitoring, life-saving interventions, multidisciplinary collaboration, emotional support.
Monthly Salary: ₦120,000 to ₦700,000.

Nurses in Nigeria are licensed by the NMCN to practice professionally after undergoing rigorous and thorough educational and clinical training and have passed required professional examinations.

Also Read: How To Apply For NMCN Online Verification of Certificate and License

There are a few training pathways to attain this professional status. Becoming a nurse in Nigeria requires going through the nursing training either in a School of Nursing, School of Basic midwifery or in a University.

The training in the School of nursing is a hospital-based one that runs for three years and leads to the award of a Certificate in General Nursing.

The program is designed to allow the nursing student to learn in the classroom for half of the period of the training, and the other half the students are on clinical postings.

Similarly, the school of basic midwifery offers a training package that trains midwives for a period of three years.

Although this pathway is no longer popular, as it is gradually being phased out. However, Nurses are also trained in several universities in Nigeria. The program runs for five years and leads to the award of both professional certifications, and a bachelor degree.

This pathways allocates more time to learning classroom for student nurses, and less for clinical postings, as compared to the earlier mention training pathways.

In the fourth year of their study, student nurses attempt the professional examination for the award of a Certificate in General Nursing (RN) and, in the fifth year, they study Midwifery, and Public Health Nursing, which is optional.

At the end of the fifth year, they would attempt the professional examinations, that would certify them as midwives (RM) and public health nurses (RPH).

In addition to these professional certifications, they are also awarded a bachelor degree. Hence, an overall qualification of “RN, RM, RPH, BNSc”.

Upon graduation, they are expected to undergo a compulsory one-year internship program, which is designed to ground them in clinical experience and help them hone their clinical skills, after which they would then receive their license to practice.

A new pathway has recently been introduced by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. Some of the institutions that train nurses across Nigeria have hit the ground running on this pathway. This pathway requires that an upgrade be done to the conventional schools of Nursing that offer a three-year nursing program and awards a certificate of General Nursing (RN).

The upgrade would enable them to award more than just an RN. Nursing training institutions that get the required accreditation would be able to incorporate midwifery into the program curriculum as well as public health.

The program would run for four years, with intensive classroom learning, interjected with necessary clinical postings. In the third year, student nurses would attempt their first professional examination, that would lead to the award of a certificate in General Nursing (RN), then in the fourth year, they would study either midwifery (RM) or public health (RPH).

They don’t have the opportunity to study both unlike the nurses training in the universities. In addition to these professional qualifications, they are also awarded an HND. Hence, an overall qualification of “RN, RM/RPH, HND”.

Sequel to this the student nurses would then undergo one year of intensive clinical training. Upon completion of this clinical attachment, they then receive their license to practice as nurses in Nigeria.

By extension, this upgrade also affects post-basic nursing programs leading to the professional certification in various specialties.

All nursing training institutions that offer post-basic courses are required to undergo an upgrade to offer postgraduate diploma in nursing for graduates with HND qualification who intend to enroll for a Master degree, and all the post-basic courses should lead to the award of a Master degree.

Specialisation in nursing in Nigeria requires further education and training in the chosen specialty.

Feel free to check out the different career opportunities in Nursing profession.

Nurses who have already undergone General Nursing training and have been certified to practice in Nigeria can enroll for these training in schools of post-basic nursing.

Most of these programs run for a period of one year, while others run over 18 months to 2 years.

There are interesting employment’s opportunities for nurses in Nigeria. Hardly does a nurse in Nigeria go without a job for more than a month

However, the career prospects and remuneration is largely dependent on the specialty, years of experience, skills and clinical competence, and in some cases level of education.

Conclusion

The nursing profession in Nigeria offers numerous opportunities for specialization, with each specialty presenting unique challenges and rewards. As evidenced by the top highest paid nursing specialties in Nigeria, nurses who pursue advanced education and training can enjoy excellent financial prospects along with the fulfillment of making a difference in patient care. Whether you aspire to work in anesthesia, primary care, management, or research, these specialties provide a glimpse into the possibilities that await dedicated and skilled nursing professionals in Nigeria.

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