Medicine and Surgery is the only choice for students who are keen to become medical doctors in the nearest future. Secondary school students who just finished from high school need to be knowledgeable about the right subjects’ combination for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams.
Medicine and Surgery as a course of study requires the student to successfully pass his/her WAEC examinations. Passing well with the right subject combination is the first step of success for the student who wants to study Medicine in the university.
Medicine and Surgery as a Profession in Nigeria
Medicine and Surgery is considered a professional course in Nigeria. Students who successfully complete the six years or more training in Medicine in the university graduate as medical doctors who can begin a whole new career in practicing.
Medicine and surgery as a Profession in Nigeria, requires an unusually high level of dedication and hard work during the academic years. As a young doctor, you are justly and generously compensated for the expertise you have gained through years and years of unwavering study and work. Doctors are among the highest-paid professionals in Nigeria. These positions are frequently supplemented with a variety of other lucrative benefits.
A career in healthcare, medicine, or surgery exposes you to the various ways in which human bodies function, perform, and heal. They teach you the skills you need to heal patients and guide you through the fascinating mechanisms that keep humans alive. Your work as a young professional fresh out of college does not have to be limited to the confines of a healthcare facility.
Medicine and Surgery as a Course to Study
Studying medicine in Nigeria is extremely difficult, but if you have the passion and are willing to put in the effort, it is well worth the effort.
After graduation, you will be able to assist those in need and make a genuine difference in people’s lives. That alone is worth the hours of effort.
Medicine is undoubtedly the most difficult course to study in Nigeria. According to statistics, only 56% of all admitted medical students in Nigeria become doctors.
To begin with, getting into a university to study medicine is a big deal. According to Jamb, only 1.6% of those who apply to study medicine each year are accepted.
The second barrier is progressing from 100l to 200l in the college of medicine, which is a challenge in most Nigerian schools because students must pass all of their courses (at least 50%) to cross over.
Many students’ dreams have been dashed at this point, particularly in UNILAG, where the pass rate for this year was only 40%.
Passing the 300l professional second mb exam has proven to be the most difficult stage, as students only have 18 months to learn basic medical science courses such as anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry.
It’s the same as learning all of your secondary school biology, physics, and chemistry in 18 months with rigorous practical classes, and all students are required to pass all courses with at least a 50%.
Students who performed exceptionally well (above 70%) are rewarded with a distinction, which may be awarded to as few as 5% of the students.
The next step is to pass the third MBBS exam, after which you will study harder courses such as pharmacology, pathology, and microbiology, as well as clinical courses such as paediatrics, gynecology, obstetrics, orthopedics, and forensic medicine.
The clinical stages, where you will write your fourth and fifth exams, are the final steps. Successful candidates will be awarded an MBBS degree and will be required to complete a one-year Housemanship as well as NYSC.
WAEC Subjects Combination for Medicine and Surgery
The approved WAEC subjects’ combination for Medicine and Surgery include subjects such as.
- Mathematics
- English
- Physics
- Biology
- Chemistry
That means for your chances to get admission into an institution that offers Medicine and Surgery, one has to make sure in WAEC that he/she gets at least a C6 in English, Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. Other additional subjects that the candidate can write include Hausa, Fishery, Yoruba, Civic Education, Igbo, Data science, Geography, Economics, and many others.
For your chances to get admission into an institution that offers Medicine and Surgery, one has to make sure in WAEC that he/she gets at least a C6 in English, Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Chemistry.
Passing Mathematics in WAEC is important as it is one of the subjects required to pass to be able to study Medicine and Surgery in the university.
There is no specific JAMB score for medicine. However, the candidate should try to score at least 280 in JAMB to stand a chance to get admission to study Medicine at his/her university of choice.
Most private universities have the lowest cut-off mark to study Medicine in Nigeria. However, the downside to it is that most of these private universities can be expensive.
After obtaining practising licenses from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, graduates of medicine can participate in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Studying medicine in Nigeria is relatively hard. From the point of securing admission to become a medical student, to passing professional MBBS exams Medicine as a course is a difficult one. But with determination and courage, one can succeed in the course.
