Nigeria. This is because of the dearth of doctors working in the nation's public hospitals. According to Nigeria's Ministry of Health, the ratio of Nigerian doctors to the population is about 1:2753 which translates to about 36.6 doctors per 100, 000 people. This number falls considerably short of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended doctor-to-population ratio of between 1:600 and 1:1000. Even at that, ECDs in Nigeria who are working and are in training make up just a tiny fraction of that number. This means that the burden of the shortage of ECDs in Nigeria have to be borne by those who are on ground and available in the nation's hospitals. This translates to prolonged work hours, little time for adequate rest and recuperation, stress-related illnesses, and high burn out rates in this category of doctors. Career progression of ECDs in Nigeria The early career doctor in Nigeria may be employed in a number of settings. These include the government civil service, otherwise known as the public sector, and the private sector. In the private sector, ECDs may gain employment into private medical practise, health maintenance organisations, public health consulting firms, and health-related non-governmental organisations where they work as medical managers or medical consultants. Career progression in the private sector depends on the individual employer. In the public sector, there are two main career paths for ECDs - the medical officer cadre and the resident doctor cadre. The Medical officer cadre Medical officers are doctors fully licensed by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to practise in Nigeria. They provide medical, surgical and emergency medical services depending on their work setting. Promotion occurs at regular intervals and depends on the employer. For the Federal Civil Service, promotion takes place every three years. Progression in this cadre is as follows: The Residency cadre This cadre is for doctors in a fellowship training programme to be a specialist under the postgraduate medical colleges' guidance. They are referred to as resident doctors. The progression and general regulation of the programme is embedded in the Medical Residency Training Act (2017) Requirements for entrance into this cadre are undergraduate medical training from an accredited medical school, full license to practise by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, and passing the Primary Fellowship examination of the postgraduate medical colleges (an exemption can be obtained from one college after passing the entrance examination of the