Jass nominated for prestigious award
Wendy Jass, a nurse in the multidrugresistant TB ward at the Harry Comay Hospital in George, will represent the Garden Route and Central Karoo districts at the prestigious provincial Cecilia Makiwane Nursing Awards ceremony later this month. The awards honour, celebrate and recognise nurses for their selfless dedication to the nursing profession and exceptional work done in their field through making a lasting difference to their patients' lives, and contributing to the improvement of their communities' well-being.
Jass's warm smile and her positive outlook on life are contagious. Her face lights up when she talks about her career and the patients she has treated in her almost 20 years of being a professional nurse.
"I always wanted to become a police officer, but my dad, who worked in the detective services, said that I did not have the heart," says Jass. "I decided that my next option would be to become a nurse. I clearly remember the first day I wore my uniform. I felt so proud and princess-like and knew that I have made the right decision."
Beyond the call of duty
Jass's work - caring for her patients - is her passion. Serving her patients holistically is of extreme importance to her. She has a real desire to reconnect families of patients. She does her utmost to try and find relatives and improve patients' relationships with family at home, and she consults with patients regarding their needs, fears and expectations.
She spends a great deal of her personal time and finances to better serve her patients. Many of the patients do not have IDs, which they need to apply for Sassa grants. She frequently transports these patients, when they are sputum negative, with her private car to Home Affairs and pay for their IDs.
A colleague also mentioned that she negotiates with the banks to apply for patient bank accounts, because Sassa does not easily approve grants to individuals without an account. "I quickly realised that she has a special gift when it comes to management and patient care. Many of the patients will even call her 'ma'," said Dr Lindè Marais, medical officer at Harry Comay Hospital.
"We also regularly get messages or phone calls from patients who just want to say 'hi' to Sr Jass and tell her how they are doing. This is proof that they really experience compassion from her and that they know she really cares for them."
Wendy Jass contributes to the effective management of the work environment and has put measures in place to streamline patient care, in and out of hospital.
She has created monitoring tools for patients on Bedaquiline to ensure this new drug is correctly monitored.
She is married and has three children.
In her spare time she enjoys cooking and reading.