WELCOME TO THE
COLLEGE OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
College of Mental Health Nursing, Calabar: training mental health nurses at Nigeria's pioneer mental health institution
Why train with us?
Our students learn psychiatric nursing where it has been practised in Nigeria since 1903. Lectures are given by experienced nurse educators, psychiatrists, psychologists and other specialists, and every student practises under supervision in acute, drug, child and adolescent and long-stay wards and in the clinics of the hospital.
18 months
Full-time post-basic programme for Registered Nurses, with classroom and clinical training.
RPN
Graduates sit the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria examination for Registered Psychiatric Nurse.
Clinical base
Practice placements across the wards, clinics and community services of a specialist hospital.
About the College
The College of Mental Health Nursing is the nurse training arm of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar. It prepares Registered Nurses to care for people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders in hospitals, in the community and in private practice.
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Skilled psychiatric nurses
Assessment, therapeutic communication, medication management and safe care of patients in crisis.
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Community mental health
Prevention, early detection, family support and follow-up of patients after discharge.
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Research and leadership
Evidence-based practice, a research project and the management skills needed to lead a ward.
Hospital founded
Months of training
Nurses in the hospital
College departments
What you will study
The programme follows the post-basic psychiatric nursing curriculum of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
Psychiatric and mental health nursing
Nursing care of people with psychotic, mood, anxiety, personality and organic disorders, across acute and long-stay settings.
Psychopharmacology
Psychotropic medicines, their effects and side effects, safe administration and patient education.
Psychology and counselling
Human behaviour, development, therapeutic relationships, counselling and psychotherapeutic interventions.
Special groups
Child and adolescent, old age, forensic and substance use psychiatry, with the nursing care each group needs.
Community mental health
Mental health promotion, primary care, home visits, rehabilitation and support for families.
Research and management
Research methods, a supervised project, ward management, ethics and the law on mental health.
Mr Kingsley Enang
Coordinator, College of Post-Basic Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
Mental health care in Nigeria needs more nurses who understand the mind as well as the body. Our College gives Registered Nurses the knowledge, clinical skill and confidence to care for people with mental illness, and to support their families. We welcome nurses who are ready to learn, to serve and to lead.
Admission fraud notice
Admission into the College is announced only on this website, the hospital website and the hospital's official Facebook and X pages. The College does not use Gmail, Yahoo or other personal email addresses, and does not sell admission through agents or advert websites. Pay fees only through the official Remita process described in the admission advert, and confirm any message you receive at contact@fnphcalabar.gov.ng before you pay.
Gallery
Capping ceremony, students and life at the College.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions applicants ask most often.
Who can apply?
Registered Nurses with a current NMCN practising licence and the O'level credits listed under entry requirements. Holders of a BNSc may also apply.
How long is the programme?
Eighteen months of full-time study, combining classroom teaching with supervised clinical practice in the wards and clinics of the hospital.
What qualification do I get?
Graduates who pass the NMCN professional examination are registered as Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPN).
When does admission open?
The admission advert is published on this website and on the hospital's official Facebook and X pages. The advert gives the dates, the fee and the date of the entrance examination.
Is there accommodation?
Ask the College office when you collect your form. Details of hostel spaces, where available, are given to admitted students.
Contact
The College is on Mary Slessor Avenue, Calabar.
Office hours
Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm