Medical students finish their medical school and then proceed to housemanship for 1 year in Nigeria. After the housemanship, they then proceed to do their National Youth Service Corps program in any state in Nigeria.
Below, we want to provide you with the details of everything you are to know about the National Youth Service Corps programs for graduates of medical doctors and dentists in Nigeria.
These are important questions medical doctors ask when they complete their housemanship program.
Will Medical Doctors Do NYSC?
Yes, medical doctors in Nigeria must do their nysc.
This is because the nysc program states that first-degree graduates of universities, and HNDs graduates of other higher institutions must do their NYSc.
So whether you are a graduate of HND, BSC, BA, LLL, BDS, or MBBS, as long as you are a first-degree graduate in Nigeria, you must do your NYSC.
How Much Do Medical Doctors Earn During NYSC?
The truth is, for most medical doctors, they do not earn much during NYSC. The money that they earn monthly is gotten from 2 payout streams.
First is the payout gotten from the Federal government which is N33,000 for all medical doctors.
Second is the payout gotten from their places of work which is also called PPA (Place of Primary Assignment). The salary for this second payment depends on the company or hospital where they work.
The payment can range from 60k to 180k. However, some doctors may not even receive any payments from their PPA at all.
So bad isn’t it?¿
In total, considering the money paid by NYSC, a medical doctor in Nigeira can earn between N33,000 to N213,000 Naira monthly.
Where Do They Do NYSC In Nigeria?
In Nigeria, you can do your NYSC in any state of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This makes it about 36 + 1 Federal Capital Territory.
When you apply for NYSC in Nigeria, you will be posted to a state. It is in that state that you will do your NYSC camp for 21 days which will be at a military barracks in that state. After the NYSC camp, you will then move to work there.
Is NYSC Compulsory For All Medical Doctors?
Yes, NYSC is compulsory for all medical doctors who finished school before the age of 30.
However, it’s not compulsory for medical doctors who finished school when they were 30 years old or above.
Also, if you are a medical doctor with a previous degree, and you have done your NYSC in the past, you wouldn’t need to do NYSC again. Your first NYSC certificate will surpass you.
For medical doctors who graduated at the age of 30 or above and have never done their NYSC before, they will apply for the NYSC exemption certificate.
Note: The NYSC exemption certificate just works completely as fine as the NYSC certificate of completion of service.
Best States To Do Your NYSC As A Doctor
Any state you choose to do your NYSC as a doctor will give you its own experience and you will soon learn to adjust to the life and living of the state.
In terms of the best in payments, the coolest state to do your NYSC will be Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan. Also, state-owned hospitals will pay higher than federal hospitals. And privately owned hospitals can pay higher than state-owned hospitals. However, this still depends on how well-known and established such hospitals are.
What To Do During Your Service Year As A Medical Doctor?
Your service year as a medical doctor is like a transitional stage from being provisional licensed to being fully licensed by the MDCN to practice in Nigeria.
Being transitional means you must try as much as you can to learn the practice of medicine from your Senior registrars and consultants during your service year.
If you are the one that will be times only on call in your PPA, you should ensure you do the best in the treatment of patients.
As the service year is a transitional year into climbing the main ranks of Medicine and Surgery that means that you have to prepare how you want to progress through the medical ranks in your Service Year.
To do this, many medical doctors start preparing and many write exams during their service year.
Some, write the NPMCN Primaries exam. Some write the West African College of Physicians Exams. While some write the West African College of Surgeons examination.
And for some who desire to practice abroad prepare and write exams such as USLME, PLAB, IELTS, and others.
Will I Be Under Supervisors In My National Youth Services?
Yes, just like during your housemanship in Nigeria, you will be under a supervisor during your National Youth Service.
You and your supervisor will also be required to fill out forms to show that you have successfully fulfilled your duties at your place of primary assignment.
Your supervisors can be Senior Registrars, Consultants, or Specialists, or be the MD or CMD of your PPA/Company/Hospital.
What’s Next After NYSC?
As a medical doctor, what’s next after NYSC will be to first thank God, then proceed to upgrade your license from provisional license to Full license.
After upgrading your practicing license, you can then decide to the specialist line by being a Resident to a Senior registrar then to a consultant, or a specialist.
If you don’t want to move to the specialist line, you can decide to be a Medical officer and later a senior medical officer.
Others may decide to write IMG exams and work abroad. Others may decide to set up their private practice.
Others can go for further post graduates medical education to further their qualifications and studies whether in Nigeria or abroad.
Any more questions?If you have any questions you want to ask regarding practicing or working as an NYSC doctor in Nigeria, leave them in the comments below.