Dental college sets record

Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu (FEDCODTTEN) has broken an academic record, becoming the first institution in West Africa to lead its students to write professional Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) examination on dental nursing.

This implies that the college is the first institution of higher learning to train dental nurses in West Africa.

The development is one of the many giant strides of the incumbent Rector, John Emaimo, who has transformed the institution from a monotechnic to an institution offering different accredited degree as well as diploma programmes.

The professional examination, which is a precursor to obtaining practising licences by prospective dental nurses from NMCN, followed the earlier conduct of pre-council examination written by the students in October.

NMCN, which conducted the two examinations on the school campus, registers and licences qualified nurses to practise in various hospitals across Nigeria.

Leading the council team to conduct the examination recently, Timbuak Yamai, hailed the college authority for the uncommon feat, saying efforts of the authority to produce dental nurses who meet the standards for professional practice both within and outside Nigeria are praiseworthy.

Yamai acknowledged that the examination was the first of its kind in Nigeria and the entire West Africa, noting that the team was in the college to conduct the NMCN examination and simultaneously ensure it conformed with professional standards.

He also described it as a national examination which qualifies participants to be a practising nurse in any part of Nigeria.

Speaking earlier during the pre-council examination which lasted three days in the college premises, Head of Dental Nursing Department, Ismail Mohammed, emphasised that the examination was the first of its kind in the whole of West Africa.