Sister Shoky Ndevu, who is in charge of skills and training at Bertha Gxowa Hospital, has been a nurse for 15 years.<\/p>\n
She said she was inspired by her neighbour, who was a nurse.<\/p>
\u201cShe was a respectable figure in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave me hope to make a difference in people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe came from humble beginnings and built from that and I was inspired and knew it was possible from there,\u201d said Shoky.<\/p>\n She said like any other profession, nursing has its challenges. She said she has had her fair share and has seen other nurses have them too.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the challenges I have experienced in my line of work is resistance to change.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough nursing is dynamic, I found that most people were not open to change and did not embrace it,\u201d said Shoky.<\/p>\n Even with the challenges, Shoky\u2019s passion for her profession is still evident when she speaks about nursing.<\/p>\n \u201cI love helping others and being able to nurse patients back to health.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reward and fulfillment I get when I have made a positive impact on others makes me happy; I love what I do,\u201d said Shoky.<\/p>\n The GCN asked her how she was remaining positive and motivated during the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are empowered with the knowledge in order to reduce the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must remember why we become nurses and fight to flatten the curve,\u201d said Shoky.<\/p>\n She said being a nurse is a calling and not a career.<\/p>\n \u201cLike many careers, you have to study and train to be a nurse.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must be called and have a passion.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must do it because you love it, not just because it is going to guarantee you a job and a salary,\u201d said Shoky.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ALSO READ:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Roseacres celebrates nurses on International Nurses\u2019 Day<\/a><\/p>\n Making a difference to essential services workers one visor at a time<\/a><\/p>\n \n The GCN asked her what her message would be to her fellow nurses who are on the frontline, fighting to flatten the curve.<\/p>\n \u201cTogether, we can beat Covid-19.<\/p>\n \u201cKnowledge and teamwork is important, as is implementing the IPC guidelines in place.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ought to find new ways of dealing with new, highly transmittable diseases,\u201d said Shoky.<\/p>\n Tshepiso Motaung may be new to the field of nursing, but her love for helping others is old.<\/p>\n \u201cI have always had a love for helping people, especially the sick and old; this drove me to become nurse.<\/p>\n \u201cI always knew there was a caring and compassionate side to my personality.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rewarding nature of the job, combined with the potential to enjoy stable work opportunities, also motivated me to pursue a career in nursing,\u201d said Tshepiso<\/p>\n She has been a nurse for five years and said she loves every single moment of her work.<\/p>\n \u201cI love being a nurse.<\/p>\n \u201cI love how we are able to touch the lives of others in a meaningful way and when we restore their health there\u2019s no greater feeling than that,\u201d said Tshepiso.<\/p>\n She said as a young nurse she has to overcome challenges every day.<\/p>\n \u201cI have had my fair share of challenges in the workplace.<\/p>\n \u201cI have experienced bullying, especially by older subordinates who feel you are too young to be giving them directives, especially during my student days.<\/p>\n \u201cI have also dealt with the generalisations of the community who say we are bad nurses even though you try hard to stand out and do right,\u201d said Tshepiso.<\/p>\n She said it\u2019s not easy to serve if you don\u2019t have the heart.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t get involved in nursing or medicine if your heart is not channelled to being a servant 24\/7.<\/p>\n \u201cTo serve others is a calling because you must always be willing to help,\u201d said Tshepiso.<\/p>\n Qualified paramedic turned male nurse Simon Mabasa said saving lives has always been something he wanted to do.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a young age I wanted to work with patients.<\/p>\n \u201cI trained to be a paramedic, but did not get the opportunity to work as one. I converted to nursing, which was always my dream job as working with patients is my passion,\u201d said Simon.<\/p>\n He said his journey as a nurse started in 2011.<\/p>\n \u201cI have enjoyed my journey so far.<\/p>\n \u201cI love working with people and being able to help others,\u201d said Simon.<\/p>\n He said what challenges and saddens him is the lack of appreciation for nurses.<\/p>\n \u201cThe community does not show appreciation for the work we do.<\/p>\n \u201cThey generalise. If they are treated badly by one nurse they paint all of us with one brush, even the ones who respect and serve the community with love.<\/p>\n \u201cThey forget we are also human,\u201d said Simon.<\/p>\n He said nurses should not lose heart even in difficult times.<\/p>\n \u201cFellow nurses should soldier on, we know why we are in this profession.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we got into it we knew the challenges we would face, but we continue because we are servants.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are the Florence Nightingales of today and tomorrow,\u201d said Simon.<\/p>\n These three different people, from different backgrounds, all share the same love for nursing as they continue fighting on the frontline.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za,<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>or Busi Vilakazi (Journalist)\u00a0busiv@caxton.co.za.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Also follow us on:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2020\/05\/IMG_0685_13448-520x390.jpg\")
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