ARCHBISHOP CHARLES HEEREY MEMORIAL COLLEGE OF NURSING SCIENCES

Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial College of Nursing Sciences (ACHCONSA) is a private mission college of nursing at Ogbor Hill, Aba, Abia State, owned and managed by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ. It is named for Archbishop Charles Heerey, the congregation's founding father, and was established to produce polyvalent nurses and midwives who combine professional competence with a Christian approach to care marked by integrity, respect, empathy, devotion and compassion.

The college was approved by the congregation's 10th and 11th General Chapters and began with three departments: General Nursing, Basic Midwifery and Public Health Nursing. Each is organised as a school: the School of General Nursing, the School of Midwifery and the School of Public Health Nursing. A School of General Studies and an ICT Institute (the Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial Advanced Computer Institute) support teaching. General Nursing and Midwifery are each three-year, six-semester courses with examinations at the end of every semester, taught to the approved curriculum of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (2016). Public Health Nursing is a two-year Higher National Diploma programme of four semesters plus a Supervised Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) placement of up to six weeks, with certificates awarded by WAHEB.

The college stands on its own premises opposite Tonimas Filling Station, off New Umuahia Road, Ogbor Hill, Aba. The Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial Specialist Hospital is within the school premises, giving students clinical exposure and health care close at hand. The college states its mission as presenting nursing practice in its classical tradition and producing proficient nurses and midwives who serve people in their natural environment and help reduce morbidity and mortality; its vision is to become a centre of excellence in nursing innovation and research. Ten core values are summarised in the acronym SPHECEDIIT (Safety, Professionalism, Hard work, Excellence, Critical thinking and Curiosity, Empathy and Caring, Dedication and Discipline, Integrity, Innovation, Team work), and punctuality is the college's "keystone habit".

Student life has a strong spiritual dimension. Daily morning Mass and the daily Rosary are offered, students may join any pious society in the college and may seek counselling from the Reverend Sisters and the chaplain, and they may worship in an approved Christian denomination or other religious body on Sundays or other days. The college recognises the multi-religious character of Nigeria. Students are drawn from across the federation and from nearby states.

On-campus hostel accommodation is provided in self-contained rooms shared by two students, with a study room, recreational facilities and a cafeteria serving two meals a day against a meal ticket. Accommodation is paid yearly and feeding monthly. The ICT Institute also runs six-month computer diploma courses for the college community and the public, and offers GSuite training to staff and students.