Four who felt the powerful pull to become nurses
A TOTAL of 139 students graduated as nurses from the ABH Nursing School earlier this month. They spoke to POST about their hopes, expectations and concerns.
MALE nurse VISHAL BALRAJ says he has always been passionate about helping people in need.
“I have always loved to comfort and reach out to people; helping a person in any way that I can just fulfils me,” he said.
Apart from getting a good salary, the 23-year old also expects patients to be comfortable with him regardless of his gender.
“Of course, should a female patient be not comfortable with me assisting them, I shall call in extra help.”
Balraj said he hoped to be able to work in a good working environment.
His greatest fear, he says, is having to watch a patient die.
Magdalene Govender wanted to be a nurse five years ago when her father was involved in a car accident and lost his leg.
“After my dad’s leg got amputated, my mother and I took care of him.
“His appreciation and the joy of taking care of him made me want to help people for a living, so after matric I did not hesitate, I went to be trained to become a nurse,” she said.
Govender also expects to find a “clean working environment” and hopes to work with a team who are as passionate about helping people as she is.
She feels that “there is no other joy as fulfilling as that of a person thanking you for assisting them with their lives”.
Govender also fears the unknown as she believes that no matter how careful you think you are, you can also make a mistake.
“At the end of the day we are all human, we make mistakes. I am just afraid that that mistake could mean me getting an infection or some sort of disease.”
Sheralle Naidu, 23, hasn’t started work yet but fears being “burned out” due to the long and draining working hours of a nurse.
“I also fear coming home with airborne diseases and exhaustion,” she said. Naidu joined the nursing field because of the opportunities it offered.
It helped that she had always had a passion for helping people, she said.
“I just want to help save people’s lives and assist a patient who needs my help.”
Describing herself as a strong, ethical person, Naidu hopes to find a working environment with people “who have a conscience and who are willing to help wherever they can, no matter the circumstance”.
For Raticha Naidoo, entering the nursing environment was just the ‘in’ thing to do.
“But after I started training, I grew to enjoy and love helping people get better, especially those who can’t do anything themselves,” said Naidoo.
The 30-year-old had worked at a private hospital while studying further, and graduated recently.
Her biggest workplace fear is picking up infections from patients.
“You have to be careful with protection equipment and disposals of injection needles.
“I am most afraid of airborne diseases, as one has to go home after work to your family; you can easily pass that to your children,” said Naidoo.
When she first imagined how her working environment would be, she believed it would be much better than reports she had later heard.
“I expected there to be enough nurses in a hospital, I expected a health facility to be clean. I never expected to be working such long hours because the hospital was understaffed,” she said.