Abstract

Nurses have every capacity to dominate the private healthcare market in Nigeria. However, ignorance, the tradition of seeking for already established jobs in the hospitals mainly, and self-limiting legal impediments of the law establishing nursing and midwifery in Nigeria have not allowed them to recognize this fact. Given the situation of the present-day saturated labor market, getting the nurses to realize their abilities has become necessary. Exposing the areas of the Nigerian nursing and midwifery law that are germane to this effort and such other areas that may not allow for a smooth transition to this needed liberation is equally pertinent. It is for the above background that this paper discussed the concepts of entrepreneurship and SWOT analysis; explained why nurses' entrepreneurial potentials are said to be masked in Nigeria; highlighted possible approaches toward undoing the mask; analyzed the SWOT of Nigerian Nursing and Midwifery Act concerning undoing the mask; and offered useful recommendations toward unmasking of the entrepreneurial potentials of nurses in Nigeria. Nurses' entrepreneurial potentials are said to be masked because most nurses in Nigeria do not know they possess what can make them leaders of the Nigerian healthcare industry. Nigerian Nursing and Midwifery Act had enormously empowered nurses to do a lot about their entrepreneurial growth, but few areas of the Act need some amendments to liberalize entrepreneurial pursuits of nurses at all levels. With the increasing scarcity of already established jobs, nurses with innate resilience and passion for success should embrace entrepreneurship without further delay.

Key words: Entrepreneurship, nurses, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, unmasking.