Are you PREPARING FOR THE COUNCIL EXAM and need NMCN exam syllabus?
See the NMCN syllabus for the subject topics where ALL your nursing council exam questions will be asked from as well as how the exam is structured and the most popular past questions.
- ALSO SEE: FREE NMCN (RN) EXAM PAST QUESTIONS
What is NMCN syllabus?
NMCN syllabus is an official document by the Council listing the knowledge and clinical competence tested in every nursing student before being licensed to practice.
It is gotten from the NMCN curriculum – a long detail of all what is taught in NIGERIAN NURSING SCHOOLS.
This syllabus for NMCN exam is crucial for three reasons.
- It tells you what to study.
- It helps you allocate your time and energy according to how much each subject is weighted.
- It gives you a framework to build your study plan.
How is the NMCN exam structured?
Before breaking NMCN exam syllabus into subject topics, first understand how the Council exam is structured.
Nursing council exam is now a Computer-Based Test (CBT) with two components.
I. Objective (MCQs) exam
This exam has 250 objective questions to be answered in 2 hours 30 minutes.
It covers major topics from foundational and basic sciences to core principles of nursing practice and clinical nursing subjects.
And most questions are in applied-scenario format to test your critical thinking and clinical application, not just memory.
II. OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam)
The OSCE is almost now the only practical component of NMCN exam.
It tests your clinical skills through stations and checklists rather than objective questions.
NMCN OSCE consists of 12 stations:
- 6 procedure stations (where you perform clinical skills)
- 6 question stations (where you answer theory-based questions)
And you rotate through all these stations in 60 minutes (i.e. 5 minutes for each station).
While the question stations test you on ethics and documentation, procedure stations will require you to demonstrate general nursing tasks.
See NMCN exam syllabus
Here’s the breakdown of every subject covered in the NMCN exam syllabus and the key topics within each one.
1. Anatomy and Physiology
- CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
- RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
- GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM
- RENAL AND URINARY SYSTEM
- NERVOUS SYSTEM
- MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM
- REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
- ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
2. Fundamentals of Nursing
- THE NURSING PROCESS
- PATIENT ASSESSMENT
- NURSING CARE PLANS
- BASIC NURSING PROCEDURES
- INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL
- DOCUMENTATION AND REPORTING
- PATIENT SAFETY
3. Medical-Surgical Nursing
- CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONS
- RESPIRATORY CONDITIONS
- GASTROINTESTINAL CONDITIONS
- RENAL CONDITIONS
- ENDOCRINE CONDITIONS
- NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS
- SURGICAL NURSING
- ONCOLOGY NURSING
4. Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- ANTENATAL CARE
- LABOUR AND DELIVERY
- POSTNATAL CARE
- GYNAECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
- FAMILY PLANNING
- NEWBORN CARE
5. Paediatric Nursing
- GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
- IMMUNISATION
- COMMON CHILDHOOD ILLNESSES
- NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
- PAEDIATRIC NURSING PROCEDURES
- CHILD HEALTH PROGRAMMES
6. Community Health Nursing
- PRIMARY HEALTHCARE
- EPIDEMIOLOGY
- DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL
- HEALTH PROMOTION
- MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- SCHOOL HEALTH NURSING
- OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NURSING
7. Pharmacology
- PHARMACOKINETICS AND PHARMACODYNAMICS
- DRUG CLASSIFICATIONS
- ROUTES OF DRUG ADMINISTRATION
- DRUG CALCULATIONS
- SIDE EFFECTS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
- NURSING RESPONSIBILITIES IN DRUG ADMINISTRATION
8. Mental Health Nursing
- MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS
- THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
- PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT
- PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS
- LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN MENTAL HEALTH
- REHABILITATION AND RECOVERY
9. Nursing Ethics and Professional Practice
- NURSING AS A PROFESSION
- NMCN ACT
- ETHICAL PRINCIPLES IN NURSING
- PATIENTS’ RIGHTS
- LEGAL ASPECTS OF NURSING PRACTICE
- PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
10. Nutrition and Biochemistry
- MACRONUTRIENTS AND MICRONUTRIENTS
- METABOLISM
- THERAPEUTIC DIETS
- NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT
- NUTRITION ACROSS THE LIFECYCLE
- COMMON NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS IN NIGERIA
11. Nursing Research
- THE RESEARCH PROCESS
- TYPES OF RESEARCH
- DATA COLLECTION METHODS
- ETHICS IN NURSING RESEARCH
- APPLICATION OF RESEARCH TO PRACTICE
12. Management and Leadership in Nursing
- NURSING ADMINISTRATION
- LEADERSHIP STYLES
- MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS
- STAFF SUPERVISION AND DEVELOPMENT
- QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HEALTHCARE
- CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Syllabus for NMCN OSCE
OSCE tests your ability to perform clinical procedures correctly, safely and in the right sequence.
It consists of 12 stations and lasts 60 minutes.
At procedure stations, examiners assess not just whether you can perform a skill, but whether you approach it with the right clinical reasoning while explaining what you’re doing, maintaining patient safety and demonstrating professional conduct throughout.
The following procedures appear the most in NMCN OSCE stations and must be studied and practised, not just read:
Personal hygiene and basic care
- BED BATH (COMPLETE AND PARTIAL)
- ORAL HYGIENE AND MOUTH CARE
- HAIR CARE AND BACK CARE
- PRESSURE ULCER PREVENTION AND CARE
- PATIENT POSITIONING (SUPINE, LATERAL, PRONE, FOWLER’S, TRENDELENBURG)
Wound care
- ASEPTIC TECHNIQUE AND STERILE FIELD PREPARATION
- SIMPLE WOUND DRESSING
- SURGICAL WOUND DRESSING
- SUTURE AND STAPLE REMOVAL
- BURNS DRESSING
Medication administration
- ORAL MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION
- INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION
- SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION
- INTRADERMAL INJECTION
- INTRAVENOUS DRUG ADMINISTRATION
- DRUG DOSAGE CALCULATION
Fluid and nutritional support
- SETTING UP INTRAVENOUS INFUSION
- MONITORING AND ADJUSTING IV FLUID RATE
- NASOGASTRIC TUBE INSERTION AND MANAGEMENT
- NASOGASTRIC TUBE FEEDING
- BLOOD TRANSFUSION PROCEDURE AND MONITORING
Elimination
- FEMALE AND MALE URINARY CATHETERISATION
- CATHETER CARE AND MANAGEMENT
- ENEMA ADMINISTRATION
- COLOSTOMY CARE
Respiratory care
- OXYGEN THERAPY (MASKS, NASAL CANNULA, FLOW RATES)
- SUCTIONING OF AIRWAYS
- INHALATION THERAPY ADMINISTRATION
- CHEST PHYSIOTHERAPY BASICS
Vital signs and monitoring
- TEMPERATURE, PULSE, RESPIRATION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT
- OXYGEN SATURATION MONITORING
- NEUROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS (GLASGOW COMA SCALE)
- BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITORING
Obstetric and gynaecological procedures
- ANTENATAL ABDOMINAL EXAMINATION
- FUNDAL HEIGHT MEASUREMENT
- FETAL HEART AUSCULTATION
- VULVAL SWABBING AND PERINEAL CARE
The procedure itself is only part of what is being assessed. OSCE examiners also look at:
- whether you introduce yourself and explain the procedure to the patient.
- whether you maintain privacy and dignity.
- whether you follow the correct sequence of steps.
- whether you maintain aseptic technique where required.
- whether you document and report findings.
Practise every procedure out loud, as if you are being watched because during OSCE, you’ll be.
Popular topics in NMCN Syllabus
If your preparation time is limited, it’s best to just know the areas where majority of the questions will come from.
Below are the topics that come up the most from past NMCN exam pattern:
1. Diabetes mellitus
Know the types, clinical features, management, nursing care, patient education and complications.
2. Hypertension and cardiovascular nursing
Understand blood pressure physiology, antihypertensive drugs, nursing assessment and complications like stroke and heart failure.
3. Maternal nursing
Particularly complications of pregnancy, labour emergencies (postpartum haemorrhage, eclampsia) and postnatal care.
4. Tuberculosis
Understand the disease process, DOTS treatment protocol, nursing management and infection control measures.
5. The nursing process
Know how to structure your answers using ADPIE to score better than just writing unstructured clinical responses.
6. Drug administration and pharmacology
Make sure your drug calculations are accurate and well-practised.
7. Paediatric malnutrition
Know the clinical features, management, nutritional rehabilitation and health education of kwashiorkor and marasmus.
8. Community health and primary healthcare
Especially disease prevention, health promotion, maternal and child health programmes and environmental health.
Conclusion
Don’t plan your study around textbook chapters, plan it around syllabus topics.
A chapter in a medical-surgical textbook may cover 30 conditions but NMCN exam syllabus may only require you to know just 15 of them.
Study what the syllabus demands.
And after studying each topic, attempt NMCN EXAM PAST QUESTIONS on that area.
If you struggle with the questions, go back to the syllabus and your textbook to fill the gap.
If you answer them confidently, move on.
Past questions are your feedback. Use them throughout your preparation, not just in the final week.
And even after you’ve covered every topic in the syllabus, schedule regular revision sessions for the popular areas.
NMCN syllabus vs School curriculum
Your school curriculum is what your nursing school teaches you over the 3-4 years of training.
It gives you a broad foundation in nursing science, clinical practice and professional development.
School exams (C.A and hospital finals) test your knowledge of that curriculum.
But NMCN exam syllabus assess whether you’re ready to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in Nigeria.
While it draws from what you studied in school, it is not identical to your school curriculum.
There are topics your school may have emphasised that receive less weight in Council exam, and there are areas NMCN test in greater depth than your school taught.
To be more specific.
NMCN EXAM QUESTIONS require you to apply knowledge in scenarios, not just memory or factual recall.
The NMCN Act, patients’ rights, professional conduct and nursing ethics also receive more attention in the Council exam than in school curriculum.
Most schools don’t conduct OSCE during training. NMCN syllabus goes beyond school practical.
So, don’t just assume that passing your school exams or hospital finals makes you ready for nursing council exam.
Use NMCN exam syllabus to prepare more and on target.
Frequently asked questions
Medical-surgical nursing gets the highest number of questions in Objectives, followed by anatomy and physiology, obstetrics and gynaecology and community health nursing.
While pharmacology appears in every OSCE.
No. The General Nursing and Basic Midwifery curricula are separate documents. Midwifery students are tested on most nursing topics and extras like obstetrics, gynaecology, and maternal and child health.
GOOD LUCK.
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