MDCN Exam flashcards

31 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

MDCN statutory mandate

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria regulates registration, licensing, discipline and training standards for doctors and dentists under the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act.

Provisional registration

Time-limited registration granted to a recognised degree holder to undertake supervised housemanship before eligibility for full registration, subject to certification of completed rotations.

Full registration

Registration granted after a recognised degree, completed approved housemanship and good character, allowing independent practice once the annual licence is current.

Licence to practise

An annual authorisation, distinct from registration, permitting practice for a defined period; it lapses if the prescribed practising fee is not renewed.

Temporary registration

Registration for a fixed purpose and duration, often for visiting or foreign-trained practitioners, typically subject to supervision and defined scope of practice.

Erasure from register

A disciplinary outcome removing a practitioner's name from the register and ending the right to practise until the Council approves restoration.

Unregistered practice offence

Practising, or employing someone to practise, without current registration or licence is an offence under the regulatory framework and may attract prosecution.

Informed consent elements

Valid consent requires a competent patient, adequate disclosure of risks, benefits and alternatives, voluntariness, and documentation of the discussion.

Confidentiality breach exceptions

Disclosure without consent is justified by legal requirement, court order, or overriding public interest, and must be limited to the minimum information necessary.

Professional misconduct

Behaviour falling below expected standards, including negligence, falsifying records, sexual contact with patients, practising beyond competence, and improper advertising or fee-splitting.

Fair hearing at inquiry

The disciplinary panel must inform the practitioner of allegations, allow representation and evidence, and give reasons before imposing sanctions.

Duty to report colleague

Practitioners must report serious misconduct or impairment of colleagues; concealing such matters is itself a disciplinary offence.

False medical certificate

Issuing a certificate or medico-legal report known to be untrue is serious misconduct and may also constitute a criminal offence.

Referral fee prohibition

Fee-splitting, kickbacks or commissions for patient referrals are prohibited; charges must be transparent and not exploitative of patients.

Implied consent in emergency

Where a patient lacks capacity and no surrogate is available, life-saving treatment may proceed on implied consent, documented with the reasoning.

Accreditation process steps

Quality assurance follows self-study, evidence submission, peer-review site visit, report and Council decision on full, conditional or denied accreditation.

Minimum standards domains

Standards cover governance, curriculum, assessment, staffing ratios, library and ICT, skills laboratories, and adequate clinical training sites with patient volume.

Clinical training adequacy

Programmes must provide supervised bedside teaching with sufficient patient volume and case mix, verified through logbooks and documented competency achievement.

Curriculum integration requirement

Basic sciences must be linked to clinical practice, with ethics, public health, communication skills, research methods and information technology embedded throughout.

Assessment standards

Assessment must be valid, reliable and transparent, including workplace-based methods, with documented remediation and appeal mechanisms for students.

Accreditation status categories

Outcomes include full accreditation, provisional or conditional status with a deadline to correct deficiencies, and denial, each requiring re-inspection before confirmation.

Substantial change notification

Changes to curriculum, intake numbers or training sites must be reported to the Council, which may require a fresh accreditation review.

Quality improvement records

Accredited programmes must keep curriculum maps, staff development records, student feedback and improvement cycles for review at re-accreditation.

Housemanship definition

A supervised full-time internship with rotating clinical placements, completed after the recognised degree and before eligibility for full registration.

Intern logbook certification

Rotations and competencies must be recorded and certified by supervising consultants and the training institution before full registration is granted.

Accredited internship centre

A training institution approved by the Council to offer housemanship, providing defined supervision, structured teaching and adequate clinical exposure.

CPD obligation

All registered practitioners must participate in continuing professional development, documented and potentially required for licence renewal or register retention.

CPD credit cycle

CPD is organised as credit points accumulated over a defined cycle, spanning clinical knowledge, ethics and professionalism, and practice improvement activities.

CPD activity types

Accredited conferences, workshops, online modules, journal-based learning, case presentations and clinical audit each carry defined credit values.

CPD record retention

Practitioners must keep certificates and evidence of participation for verification; false claims of CPD completion constitute professional misconduct.

Residency progression

After housemanship, specialist training runs through accredited residency programmes with examinations and workplace-based assessments governing progression.