Open AccessUndergraduate medical education in Nigeria: current standard and the need for advancement
Author(s) -
Moyosoore Osoba,
Shamsudeen Usman,
Oyadiran Oluwafemi,
O. Ugboaja Joseph,
A James Michelle,
Usman Olamide,
Olulaja Olufemi,
Ajidahun Olusina,
Don Eliseo LuceroPrisno
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the pan african medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.287
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 1937-8688
DOI - 10.11604/pamj.2021.40.40.30542
Subject(s) - medicine , curriculum , medical education , independence (probability theory) , structuring , undergraduate education , health care , developing country , process (computing) , economic growth , political science , statistics , mathematics , computer science , law , economics , operating system
The post-independence era in Nigeria ushered in an array of fundamental structuring and development in all sectors of the Nigerian economy including medical education and training. This era saw the establishment of medical schools across the country which mirrored the medical curriculum of British universities. This paper dives into the general structure of undergraduate medical education in Nigeria, its historical background and how it compares with neighboring and distant countries. Since the undergraduate medical education curriculum has not seen significant modifications since conception, this paper presents the challenges of the existent structure to include biased admission process, emphasis on irrelevant pre-medical courses, paucity of of technologically-advanced teaching and learning aids, increased workloads of lecturers amongst others. Importantly, solutions and recommendations are prescribed in this paper, which if considered, may improve undergraduate medical training in Nigeria, and ultimately improve the standard of healthcare service provision in the country.