Felda student overcomes obstacles
SITI Nurlela Izzati Mohamed is the youngest in a family of 10. Being the baby, Siti has never left home or gone anywhere without her siblings and parents.
Understandably, her decision to pursue her Diploma in Nursing programme with Nilai University (Nilai U) in 2017 proved, in her own words, “very challenging”.
The experience became tougher as one out of her four course mates was an international student who couldn’t speak Bahasa Malaysia, Siti’s mother tongue.
“I had to communicate with him in English all the time and that proved challenging as I grew up only speaking Bahasa Malaysia, the main language in school,” said Siti.
Siti was introduced to Nilai U’s nursing programme by a friend from her hometown. That friend is now in her second year while Siti has experienced a year and a half being away from home.
The challenges she faced during the first few months adapting to a different environment have made her a better person.
“By speaking in English with my international course mate, I have improved in spoken English and am not shy to speak it anymore,” she said.
“Also, being far from home has taught me to become more independent.”
Siti admits there is still a lot to be done to improve herself and she is grateful for the introduction to Nilai U.
“The course fee is much lower than other private colleges and the special scheme given to Felda students is a bonus that helped reduce my family’s financial burden,” she said.
“Felda supports 30% of the PTPTN loan I am on now.”
Siti will complete the programme in December next year.
The youngster loves handling patients, taking blood samples and going through the somewhat hectic pace of a nurse’s schedule.
All nursing students are sent out on clinical postings each semester to hospitals where they undergo practical training in real life scenarios supervised by the university’s clinical instructors.
The schedule can be quite hectic and discipline is key. During postings, students have to follow a timetable where shifts are divided into morning and afternoon.
“It is not easy to wake up very early or finish work late but the entire exercise helps in building your character,” Siti said.
“I have also witnessed death while on posting and the first experience was rather frightening, but I learned to take it in stride. After some time, you just get used to it.”
Studying in Nilai U was made even easier for Siti as she finds her lecturers and course mates very supportive and reliable. She turns to them whenever she is uncertain or when she needs expert advice in charting her career path after the programme is over.
“My plan is to become a nurse stewardess but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. Then I sought my lecturers’ assistance, which makes planning my career path so much clearer,” she said. “I aim to work in Brunei instead of the Middle East as it is closer to home. My lecturers advised me to apply for the job after completing my diploma.”
Siti has a back-up plan though. If her attempts to work as a nurse stewardess in Brunei is not attainable, she will work in Malaysia for at least five years and when she is financially stable, she will pursue her degree.
Siti has a strong message to those interested in building a career in nursing, especially potential students from the Felda community,
“Things will not come easy. There will be many challenges but you will persevere if you believe this is what you want in your life.”
Another strong recommendation from Siti is to strengthen your command of English because at Nilai U, you are bound to meet international students who can become your strongest friends and supporters.
■ For more details, visit Nilai University located in Putra Nilai or log on to www.nilai.edu.my or contact the counsellors at 06-850 2308 or e-mail marketing@nilai.edu.my