Fellow Nurses Africa
7 December 2025
Nigerian Doctor to Nurses: “If You Want Consultant Status, Go to Medical School”
A tweet posted on 6 December by Nigerian doctor @doctorxisme has brought the long-simmering debate over Consultant Nurse cadres back into the spotlight.
The doctor wrote:
“A hill I’d always die on: If you want it that bad, just go to medical school.”
The comment came just as the National Council on Establishment meets in Kano to decide whether to formally create Consultant Nurse and Consultant Midwife positions in Nigeria’s public health service.
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For context: in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the United States, senior nurses with master’s degrees, fellowships or doctorates already hold titles such as “Nurse Consultant” or “Clinical Nurse Consultant”. These roles involve leading complex patient care, developing hospital-wide protocols, teaching staff and translating research into practice — all while working alongside, not instead of, medical consultants.
Nigerian nurses with similar qualifications have long argued that the same structure would improve patient safety and care quality at home.
Instead of heated exchanges, nurses responded with calm, evidence-based replies:
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UK-based Nigerian nurse @OversabiNurse wrote:
“Many of us turned down medicine because we love nursing. The same Consultant Nurse roles you dismiss are leading wards, prescribing and saving lives daily in the NHS and beyond.” -
@DamisaxRN explained:
“In functioning systems, the Consultant Nurse manages the ward environment, protocols and multidisciplinary care while the medical consultant focuses on diagnosis and specialised treatment. Both roles are complementary and essential.” -
@ModupeoluwaRN simply asked:
“Did the Nurse Consultants in the UK, Australia and Canada first attend medical school? The global evidence speaks for itself.”
Dr (Mrs) Agnes Nwammadu, FWACN, told Fellow Nurses Africa:
“This moment has helpfully placed the facts before the Nigerian public at exactly the right time. Nurses are not asking to become doctors — we are asking to practise nursing at the same advanced level that has transformed healthcare everywhere else.”
As the debate is ongoing, on things is clear, nurses are the backbone of healthcare and must be supported with relevant policies to provide optimal care that maintains patient’s safety.
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