Health
Prioritise patient care, MDCN urges 78 newly inducted nurses
Peter Dada
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has urged 78 newly inducted nurses from Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, to uphold professional ethics and prioritise patients in their practice.
The NMCN Registrar, Ndagi Alhassan, gave the charge on Thursday during the university’s third induction ceremony for nursing graduates.
Alhassan described the induction as the formal recognition of the graduates’ entry into the NMCN register and the beginning of their transition into supervised professional practice.
He said the graduates would receive temporary professional licences valid for one year as they undertake their internship.
“Today, the Council is issuing you a temporary professional licence valid for one year. As you begin your supervised practice, remain humble. Learn actively from those who have walked this path before you. Accept feedback with grace, adhere strictly to our professional Code of Ethics, and always keep the patient at the centre of everything you do. Wear your nursing badge with sacred pride; it is a promise to humanity,” Alhassan said.
He urged the nurses not to allow the demands of routine hospital work to weaken their compassion for patients.
“Never allow the routine of daily hospital life to dull your sensitivity. Your greatest asset is not the stethoscope around your neck, the scrubs you wear, or even the badge that identifies you as a nurse. Your true strength lies in your ability to see the human being behind the diagnosis, a person looking not just for treatment, but for kindness, dignity, and hope,” Alhassan added.
Alhassan said the Nursing Internship Programme, introduced in 2017, was designed to help graduates bridge the gap between classroom learning and clinical practice.
The Vice-Chancellor of Elizade University, Prof Philip Oguntunde, urged the new nurses to explore opportunities in education, research and entrepreneurship rather than restricting their careers to hospital practice.
Speaking on the theme of the induction, ‘Nursing beyond the hospital: opportunities in education, research, and entrepreneurship,’ Oguntunde said modern healthcare required nurses to contribute beyond bedside care.
He said the shortage of qualified nurses globally was also accompanied by a shortage of nurse educators, urging the graduates to consider teaching and mentorship.
Oguntunde also encouraged them to engage in research capable of identifying gaps in healthcare delivery, developing community-based interventions and influencing health policies.
The university’s founder, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, said his investment in nursing education was aimed at producing professionals who would combine competence with good character.
“We do not want to merely produce nurses; we want to produce professionals whose competence, character, compassion and excellence will distinguish them in Nigeria and beyond,” he said.
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