Nurses Salary In Nigeria 2022: The Ultimate Truth

nurses and their salary in nigeria

Have you ever wondered “ what is the average Nurses salary in Nigeria”?

Have you ever considered why Nursing seems to be one of the most popular courses in Nigerian universities? It’s because it’s one of the lucrative medical courses in Nigeria!

Nursing is the medical field in which professionals take care of sick patients, attend to them, and ensure fast recovery after medication. Overall, the roles of Nurses in hospitals and clinics cannot be overemphasized.

But how much do Nurses earn in Nigeria? Which salary scale do they use?

You’d find out their monthly salary in this guide, as well as factors that affect why Nurse Ambibola is earning higher than Nurse Susan.

Let’s ride!

Who is a Nurse?

You’ve obviously been to the hospital and seen white gown-wearing females attending to patients in the hospital. But what do they do?

Nurses are healthcare professionals who attend and monitor patients regularly. They work together with medical doctors and other specialists to ensure their patients recover as soon as possible. Here’s a typical example of roles performed by a Nurse in the hospital:

  • Examine patients
  • Observe health care histories
  • Give hearing to patients and discover their immediate physical and emotional needs.
  • Perform vital signs test (normal health conditions like blood pressure, pulse, etc) and ensure patient is in optimal health status
  • Take blood from patients

What are the Types of Nurses?

Giving an answer to the roles of Nurses in the hospital can be quite tricky as they also specialize in different fields of health care. As a nurse, you can specialize in a particular field and your typical work-life involves that area.

Here are some types of Nurses and the roles they perform:

  1. Labor and Delivery Nurse: This type which is the typical one everyone knows, is involved during labor and delivery sessions for pregnant women. They help make the birth-giving process successful and smooth.
  2. Nurse Anesthetist: Nurses in this field perform roles in anesthetic procedures.
  3. Pediatric nurse
  4. Clinical nurse specialist
  5. Nurse educator
  6. Neonatal nurse
  7. Ambulatory nurse

Which Salary Scale Do Nurses Use in Nigeria?

The salary of most professions in Nigeria is regulated by a certain salary structure. The medical doctors use CONMESS, however, the salary scale that nurses is called CONHESS.

The Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) is the scale by which health professionals are paid their monthly allowance. It came into play by the federal government in 2009. But it wasn’t until 2010 that it became fully effective.

Do CONHESS involve only Nurses? No! This scale embraces all healthcare workers like:

  • Pharmacists
  • Nurses
  • Physiotherapists
  • Radiographers
  • Medical laboratory scientists

The scale contains different levels which and the allocated amount of money to earn every month.

How Much is the Nurses Salary In Nigeria 2022?

Like I said earlier, Nurses earn their salary following the CONHESS scale. Here’s the table below:

CONHESS LevelMonthly pay
07 N80,000
08N90,0000
09N100,000
10N120,000
11N150,000
12N180,000
13N230,000
14N280,000
15N350,000

However, it is only federal government hospital nurses that use the salary scale above.

  • So, the monthly federal nurses salary in Nigeria is averagely N80,000 – N150,000
  • For Nurses who have reach their mid-level, salary is around N100,000 – N200,000
  • And Nurses who’ve reached their peak earn about N180,000 – N350,000. It can even be higher depending on the hospital.

Private Hospital Nurses Salary in Nigeria

Nurses working in Private hospitals do not use the CONHESS scale. The managers decide how much to pay the particular health professional. Most times, their salary is lower than their counterparts working in government hospitals.

  • Fresh nurses who recently graduated earn about N50,000 – N90,000.
  • Nurses who are in the mid-level of their career earn about N80,000 – N120,000.
  • And finally, Nurses with the most experience receive about N120,000 – N180,000.

Nurses salary in Nigerian Navy

The Nigerian Navy is one of the armed forces that help protect the citizens of the nation. Their operation is mainly on or near waters. Health care professionals can work in the Navy, so also the Nurse.

But how much do Nurses earn in the Navy? According to Mysalaryscale, their salary is an average of N96,000.

Factors that Affect Nurses Salary in Nigeria

Have you ever wondered why does Nurse Ambibola earn higher than Nurse Susan? The salary structure as stated above is not the same everywhere. Here are things that determine how much you’d earn as a nurse in Nigeria:

1. Level of Experience

There are numerous nursing ranks in Nigeria, and with each step comes a unique salary structure. The highest level for a Nurse is Chief matron or chief nursing superintend 1. So, a health professional who recently graduated and is working will obviously earn lower than a chief matron with tons of years of experience. Do you get the gist?

Different Nursing Ranks in Nigeria

Here are the hierarchies involved in the Nursing profession:

  • Staff nurse II/Midwife II
  • Staff nurse I/Midwife I
  • Nursing sister
  • Senior  Nursing sister
  • Matron
  • Senior matron
  • Chief matron II
  • Chief matron I

2. Place of Work

Generally, federal teaching and government-owned hospitals follow the CONHESS salary scale to pay Nurses. But what if you’re not working in any of them? This means that your paycheck depends on the managers of that private hospital.

So the Nursing salary in Nigeria depends on the place of work. Government hospitals usually pay higher than their private counterparts. However, don’t get it all wrong, there are some state-of-art health centers that may pay higher. So the salary depends on where you work!

3. Type of Nurse/Specialty

Like I mentioned earlier, there are tons of areas Nurses can specialize and provide healthcare. There’s Anesthesia, Child-birth, Pediatrics, Just name it! In the same vein, the nurse’s salary in Nigeria depends on which particular specialty one dives into.

What do Nurses do to earn salary in Nigeria?

Nurses are an important pillar of the healthcare sector in Nigeria. They play roles in providing quality and compassionate patient-based healthcare.

1. Monitoring of patient’s recovery status

They monitor the patient’s health and ensure the medication given is effective, and finally that the patient is getting better at any time.

2. Patient-Doctor Mediation:

Staff nurses are mediate patients’ communication with the Doctors, specialist nurses, and other experts. They ensure their immediate needs are well covered.

3. Family-Patient Mediation:

Sometimes, staff nurses take up roles of communicating with the patient’s colleagues, or family members, providing the latest updates about the patient’s conditions. In all, staff nurses should be proficient in nursing the patient till overall health is gotten.

4. Collection of body fluids:

Furthermore, Staff nurses work to draw blood samples, urine, and feces. They also assist other healthcare professionals to check if the patient is in an optimal state. An example is checking vital signs- blood pressure, pulse, rate of respiration, or incidence of pain.\

Also Read: How to wash your nursing scrubs the right way

Schools of Nursing to Study in Nigeria

Do you want to become a Registered Nurse in Nigeria? Currently, there are 290 Nursing schools that are fully recognized to which you can apply. Here are some of the officially approved universities and institutions that can provide Nursing training services in the country;

  1. Abia state university, Uturu
  2. School of Nursing, Umuahia,
  3. School of Nursing, Amachara
  4. School of Post Basic Midwifery, Umuahia
  5. School of Nursing, Aba
  6. School of Post Basic midwifery, Aba
  7. School of Post basic midwifery, Abiriba
  8. School of Basic midwifery, Amachara
  9. School of Psychiatric Nursing, Aba
  10. Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial College of Nursing sciences, Ogbor-Hill, Aba
  11. School of Nursing, Yola
  12. Community Nursing Program
  13. School of midwifery, Yola

There are tons of other schools of Nursing you can apply for so you can earn the Nurses salary in Nigeria. Download the original document and scan through for the one that’s best for you!

Federal Universities that offer B.sc Nursing in Nigeria

  • Ahmadu Bello University.
  • Bayero University, Kano.
  • Federal University, Birnin-kebbi
  • University of Nigeria, Nsukka
  • University of Illorin
  • University of Lagos
  • University of Port-harcourt
  • University of Jos
  • University of Maidiguri
  • University of Ibadan
  • Obafemi Awolowo University
  • University of Abuja

State Universities offering B.sc Nursing

  • Abia state university, Uturu.
  • Delta state university, Abraka.
  • Adamawa state university.
  • Bauchi state university, Gadau.
  • Yobe state university, Damaturu.
  • Akwa Ibom state university of technology, Uyo.
  • Ekiti state university.
  • Cross river state university of science and technology, Calabar.

Private Universities

  • Afe Babalola university
  • Bowen university
  • Babcock university.
  • Achievers university.
  • Lead city university
  • Igbinedion university
  • Bingham university

Also Read: Check what Medical Doctors Earn in Nigeria

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Everything You need to know about School of Nursing in Nigeria

Final Words on the Nursing Salary Scale in Nigeria

In this article, we have done an in-depth study to the Salary structure for Nurses in Nigeria. As medics, we know that life is super important but we need to take care of ourselves, don’t we?

Did you enjoy this article? Let me know what’s missing in this Nurses salary in Nigeria guide.

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Anaso Emmanuel
Anaso Emmanuel

My name is Anaso Emmanuel and I’m the founder of MedicsDomain; an SEO Expert, Content Writer and an Enthusiastic learner. To the outside world, I’m an ordinary Medic but secretly I use this blog to help aspirants get into medical school, provide insightful guides and connect with others like me.