Nurses Day 2015| Interview with a Pretoria Nurse

Today just so happens to be the mordern founder of nursing, Florence Nightingale’s birthday, a day celebrated as International Nurses Day.

Think of how we hardly acknowledge people who play vital roles in society until a day is set aside to salute the work they do. Did you ,for instance know, that nursing is the largest health care profession in the world?

ShowMe Pretoria spoke to Maria Montsha, a local nurse practicing at Dr. George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa and she had much to say about the hounarable profession she chose.

Nurse Maria Montsha

Which nursing field are you involved in?

I am working in the Paediatric field, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to be exact.

Where did you study and for how many years?

I studied at S.G Lourens Nursing College where I did a D4 programme  which involves years of training including practicals.

To become a qualified professional nurse you need to study for four years. Only when you have completed your four year course and recognized by the South African Nursing Council as a professional nurse can you specialise.

It takes a year to further your studies in the field of nursing, e.g. Paediatrics.  During the time of your speciality training you’ll be taught theory and will also be placed in the paediatric wards to familiarise with the different conditions of the patients that you will be dealing with.

How long have you been practicising as a nurse and do you see yourself growing in your profession?

I have been in practice since the year 2010, as an individual I’d love to develop my skills, hopefully specialise specifically in Paediatrics because I have a love for children. By so doing I will be shifting from one rank to the other, working as a speciality sister in Paediatrics.

Did you always want to be a nurse?

Initially I wanted to become a doctor, but due to the grading that was required at the university and the subjects that I did in high school did not qualify; but because I wanted to be in the medical field and work directly with patients; nursing was the closest thing to being a doctor.

If one still wants to pursue the field of medicine, nursing is the bridge to get there cause the years of practice you have and the courses you did in university or college are taken into account.

Run us through an average day in your shoes

A normal day at my workplace starts at 06:45 where we receive handover report from the previous people that were on duty from 19:00 when we knock off and give report to the people that are coming on duty and vise versa. The ward that I am working in is very hectic, it is small and yet we make accommodation for all referrals from other institutions.

As the NNICU, we cater for all neonates who require the following attention: surgery, high care, ICU and isolation as well nursery. We work in a routine fashion where we do general comprehensive nursing care on our patients every three hours and help mothers that need assistance to feed their babies.

During the day we assist other personal such as radiographers and doctors with anything that needs to be done on the patient such as having x-rays or blood taken. We spend most of the time on our feet.  Tea and lunch breaks are the only times we can relax.

We never leave patients unattended or by themselves so we work as a unit and relieve each other from scheduled breaks.

I have become a stronger  person because I have come across many situations that need you to be strong for the second person; this fact has made me strong in return. I have developed the need to want to know more because I come across new things…”

Since you deal with different types of people coming from different psychosocial and socio-economic backgrounds, what characteristics would you say nurses need to be successful at their job?

Nurses work with people from different religions, beliefs, culture, socio-economic backgrounds and psychosocial needs. To become a successful nurse I believe that one needs to be understanding, helpful, patient, educated, hardworking, have knowledge about different cultures in order to treat them with the respect that they deserve. You need to have an open mind and the ability to assess relevantly. A nurse needs to have good communication skills to interact with other people such as parents of the neonates.

Having knowledge in the field that you work in makes it easier for you to communicate with parents in a case where they might ask you questions on the condition of the patient.

Because the field of nursing is not always jolly, e.g. it happens that patients die; you therefore need to be strong-willed in order to tell the family.

What are the challenges about the work that you do?

Shortage in the workplace, overcrowding, and sometimes shortage of equipment. There are things that are beyond our control as employees but where we can compromise the situation to work to our advantage. We work well together as a unit and help each other; this makes the working environment productive and not too stressful as it may get sometimes.

How do you feel after a long hard day’s work knowing that you help someone every single day of your life?

Only one thing makes me happy I tell myself, ‘ Today I have made a difference in the life of my patients, because I have done all that I could with love and with the help of the almighty Father, because without him nothing is possible’. I contribute my care, time and effort to my patients during the time that they are in my care.

How does Dr. George Mukhari Academic Hospital usually celebrate Nurses’ Day?

We normally light a candle in the ward and do a small prayer to celebrate this day.

How has your career choice made you grow as a human?

I have become a stronger person because I have come across many situations that need you to be strong for the second person; this fact has made me strong in return. I have developed the need to want to know more because I come across new things in my workplace on a regular basis e.g. new conditions. This has shown me that you can never know enough.

Any advice for future nurses?

Come into the field because you want to and because you love the work, research as much about nursing as possible.

Do your job with love and with a smile no matter at what rank you may be. People are healed just by looking at you and that gives them hope!

And please remember that “ The nurse is the patient’s  advocate!”

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