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Department of Nursing Science

Brief

INTRODUCTION

All through the years, nursing has sought to improve the health of people, families, and communities. Nursing initially prioritized the treatment and comfort of the injured and ill. However, because of recent developments in the behavioral, biological, technological, and physical sciences as well as changes in disease patterns, perceptions of health, and management, there is a need to reevaluate the applicability of the current curriculum in a society that is changing quickly. New courses like Nursing Informatics, Home Health Care Nursing, Quality Improvement and Patients’ Safety, and Politics and Governance in Nursing are included in this revised curriculum. Nurses’ expertise will increase in accordance with the international practice guidelines thanks to this improved curriculum.

Nursing education is concerned with developing sound educational principles essential to preparing nurses who will function independently and as members of the interdisciplinary and inter-sectorial teams. The Bachelor of Nursing Science Education is a 5-year course of study. The Programme is geared towards the learning needs, societal needs, Philosophy of Nursing, learning theories and professional standards of the intending nurses. The BNSc degree Programme forms the basis for nursing practice and continuing education in the discipline of Nursing. Furthermore, it develops the affective, cognitive and psychomotor skills of students in problem solving. Active participation of Certified Health Training institutions (of which Department of Nursing Science, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University is one) in both the hospitals and in community-based health services is essential for student’s acquisition of sound academic and clinical experience. 

Aims & Objectives

AIM

The aim of this curriculum is to produce polyvalent nurses equipped with skills in line with global best practices in Nursing, ready to meet the Health needs of Bauchi populace, the Nation and compete favorably with their counterparts globally.

 

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the BNSc degree Programme, the Nurse will be able to:

  1. Assess, diagnose, plan, implement, and evaluate nursing care, using knowledge of nursing, biological, behavioral and technological sciences.
  1. Use the nursing process as a framework for delivering thorough nursing care to individuals and groups in the community and all settings of health care.
  2. Establish effective communication channels with the individual, family, and community, and encourage them to take responsibility for their health protection, promotion, maintenance, and rehabilitation.
  3. Participate in the planning, provision, and evaluation of health services independently and in collaboration with other members of the health team and related sectors.
  4. Supervise the clinical experience of student nurses in all clinical
  1. Identify, stabilize and refer high-risk patients whose care is beyond their scope of
  2. Create a physically secure environment that lessens the pathological stress associated with illness.
  3. Initiate and conduct research, and implement findings towards improving health care services and nursing education.
  4. Foster an environment of trust that enables the basic emotional needs of clients or patients to be met.
  5. Motivate people to create opportunities for self-expression, self-acceptance, and self- evaluation so they can accept responsibilities that are in line with their evolving.

COMPETENCIES

 The competencies of a Nurse who has completed the BNSc Degree programme include the ability to:

  1. Integrate Nursing and Healthcare knowledge, skills and attitude to provide safe and effective care.
  2. Utilize the Nursing Process and other nursing models as a framework in the care of individuals, families and the community viz:
    1. Assess client/patient through history taking, physical assessment, and review of relevant records and listing of appropriate nursing diagnoses.
    2. Plan for individual/nursing diagnoses/problems and family health needs for the attainment and maintenance of health status.
  • Assess the community through data gathering and identifying health needs to arrive at a community diagnosis.
  1. Assume responsibility and plan for the delivery of independent and collaborative nursing activities.
  2. Implement appropriate nursing actions to minimize individual problems through holistic and client/family centered approaches in homes, communities and health care institutions.
  3. Interpret basic laboratory and radiological
  • Evaluate care using stated objectives to ascertain the effectiveness of nursing actions and health activities rendered in homes, communities and health care
  • Establish and maintain a two-way referral
  1. Develop strategies for counselling and health education needs of client/patient and families in homes, communities and health care institutions.
  2. Diagnose and treat simple medical and surgical

– Utilize available resources within the homes, communities and hospital settings to achieve the maximum provision of health care.

  1. Provide rehabilitative services to individuals, families and communities to enable them achieve optimum level of functionality.
  2. Demonstrate assertiveness in the care of client/patient in homes, communities and health care institutions.
  3. Participate in formulating health plans and
  1. Assist in budgeting, managing and auditing the accounting system at all levels of health care.
  2. Organize and implement educational Programmes for nursing
  1. Initiate and participate in the development of recording and reporting systems, maintaining, analyzing and utilizing the collected data.
  2. Utilize specialized electronic platforms (Tele-Nursing, Electronic Health, and Medical Records) in care of patients.
  1. Manage essential drugs by evolving an effective monitoring and cost recovery
  2. Promote work discipline by providing adequate motivation for health
  1. Initiate and conduct research to improve nursing education and practice to meet health needs of individuals, families and communities.
    1. Collaborate with other researchers to develop new techniques for practice
  1. Utilize research findings for evidence-based

REGULATIONS GUIDING PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATIONS

 

1.0  Indexing

 Undergraduate students of the BNSc Programme shall be presented to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (N&MCN) for indexing.

 

2.0  Appointment of Examiners and Examinations

 At the end of the second semester, having passed 400 Level courses, the Department shall conduct a pre-qualifying/screening examination, using the N&MCN format and procedures. One of such procedures is ensuring that NMCN examiners conduct the examination. Only students who pass such examination shall be presented for the N&MCN final qualifying examination for General Nurses.

 
3.0  Registration for License

It is MANDATORY that students pass the professional examination of NMCN final qualifying examination for General Nurses before completion of the degree programme, otherwise, candidates would not be deemed to be qualified professionals and would thus, not be licensed as such by the professional body. Candidates who have passed the NMCN (Professional) examination at graduation shall be registered with the NMCN. The council shall issue a temporary license during induction to enable them to proceed for a twelve (12) month internship programme at NMCN approved facilities, at the end of which he/she shall be issued a permanent license. The permanent license shall qualify the candidate for mobilization to National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

Presentation of students for the NMCN final qualifying examination for Midwives shall be at 500 Level (March or September), provided that the result of the N&MCN final qualifying examination for General Nurses (RN) earlier sat, has been passed. Presentation of students for the WAHEB examination for Public Health Nurses will come up after the final degree examinations on completion of the 2nd Semester of 500 Level (June).

Passing the NMCN final qualifying examination for General Nurses, is a pre-requisite for the WAHEB examination for Public Health Nurses. The above notwithstanding, all other rules and regulations guiding the professional examinations (NMCN and WAHEB) are applicable.

 
PROMOTION CRITERIA
Promotion From 100 Level to 200 Level

 For a student to progress from 100 to 200 level, he/she must pass all registered courses at a minimum of Grade E in pure and applied sciences taken from the Faculty of Science after an average of first—and second-semester courses.

  1. The GNS course can be carried over but must be passed before graduation.
  • Department of Nursing Science courses must be passed with a minimum Grade C after the average.
  1. Any student who failed 1-2 courses in 100L after the average shall be asked to repeat the whole year.
  2. Any student who failed 3-4 courses in 100L shall be advised to withdraw from the program.
  3. A candidate who is repeating and still FAILS any course shall WITHDRAW from the B.N.Sc. Programme.
Promotion From 200 Level to 500 Level

 The minimum passing grade for all nursing and the College of Health Sciences courses from the 200 level to the 500 level shall be 50%.

  1. Starting from the 200 level, a candidate MUST pass all courses registered to proceed to the next academic level. Exceptions are GST courses which candidates must pass before graduation from the university.
  • Any student that fails more than four (4) courses shall repeat the session.
  1. Any candidate that FAILS one (1) course to four (4) courses, with exception of GST courses shall re-sit the examination(s).
  2. Any candidate re-sitting that fails to participate in re-sit examination shall automatically repeat the session.
  3. The pass mark obtainable from re-sit examination should fall within 50 -59%.
  • The re-sit examination shall be conducted not earlier than three (3) weeks after the release of the Senate approved results.
  • Any candidate that FAILS any course unit in the re-sit examination shall REPEAT the session. This implies that all previous grades obtained shall be cancelled.
  1. A candidate REPEATING is expected to take all the courses prescribed for that level.
  2. A candidate that is repeating a level and still FAILS one (1) course to four (4) courses in the session SHALL re-sit the failed courses.
  3. A candidate who repeated a level and fails any re-sit examination shall be asked to WITHDRAW from the programme.
  • A candidate repeating a session and fails more than four (4) courses shall be asked to WITHDRAW from the programme.
  • INDEXING of candidates with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) SHALL commence by the end of 200 level.
  • For each professional Final Qualifying Examination (RN, RM and RPHNO), there must be a pre-Qualifying Examination as a prerequisite, which candidate must pass to be eligible for final qualifying examinations.
  1. Each Pre-qualifying Examination SHALL be conducted by invited external (nursing) examiners.
  • Notwithstanding regulations ‘i’ to ‘xi’, a candidate shall be asked to withdraw from the B.N.Sc. programme if studentship exceeds 7.5 academic sessions.
Download Curriculum

This curriculum is based on the philosophy that the essential purpose of Nursing is to achieve optimum health for individuals, families and the community. This philosophy relies on the following premises:

  1. Maintaining a stable climate that values, nurtures and recognizes sound education, discipline, research, clinical experience and professionalism.
  2. Interdisciplinary collaboration with all stakeholders in the health industry as it is the pivot of the excellence expected
  3. Evidence based research and practice devoid of malpractice, with the purpose of improving the quality of client care and management according to international standard
  4. Patients’ biophysical, psychological, environmental self-care, and the educational needs in the delivery of nursing care
  5. The Nurse practitioner requiring nursing knowledge, skills, attitudes and ethics to provide safe and effective health care.
  6. The Learner having a choice and being responsible for the decisions he or she makes to attain self-fulfillment. He or she demonstrates expressive activities, experiments, feelings, with insight to achieve his/her desired goals.
  7. The teacher and the learner interact mutually in the development of these
  1. The teaching environment is designed to provide the space, technology and other materials that will facilitate learning experiences and group participation for the attainment of set goals.

Department of Nursing Science is committed to application of quality standard in the preparation of students. These will enable the students to provide comprehensive nursing care for individuals, families and communities in health and illness, enhance their skills, which will reflect their ongoing research performance in different health care setting at the local, national and international levels.

 

Excellence in education, training, research, community service at national and international level.

DURATION OF COURSE

 

The duration of the BNSc degree course is (5) five years for U.T.M.E qualified candidates and (4) four years for Direct Entry (DE) candidates.

CERTIFICATION:

 

To graduate, a UTME candidate must earn at least 150 credit units, while a DE candidate must earn at least 120 credit units. After successfully completing the requirement of the 4 or 5-year course as the case may be of study and obtaining approved grades in all the specified examination for the BNSc degree, the candidate shall be eligible for application to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) to seek a license for practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) on successful sitting for and passing the professional registration examinations of the Council.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

 

To be admitted to the BNSc degree course, candidates must have satisfied the prescribed Minimum conditions of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University for admission to the

Degree course and fulfil the Requirements of direct entry or University & Tertiary Matriculation Examination (U.T.M.E).

UTME ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

 

Candidates holding the GCE/O Levels/SSCE/NECO with credit in at least five (5) subjects including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Physics and Chemistry at not more than two sittings. In addition to satisfying appropriate grade or pass in the Joint Matriculation Examination.

DIRECT ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

 

  1. Candidates holding A/Levels (or approved equivalent – IJMB) with a minimum of C- grade in Biology or Zoology, Chemistry and Physics plus with a minimum of (5) five

Credits at O/ Levels, or SSCE including English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at not more than two sittings.

  1. Registered Nurse (RN) or Registered Midwife (RM) Certificate and five credits at

Ordinary level G.C.E/SSCE or NECO, which must include English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at not more than two sittings. Any post- basic nursing diploma is just an added advantage.

  • Transfer students from ATBU or other recognized universities who meets the criteria for inter or intra university transfer as set by the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University.
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