Hello Hivians, I trust you're all enjoying yourselves and the Val moments. I was thinking about what to write about a few days ago, and I decided that I would tell this family how I spent 7 years studying for my Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNsc).
As a young high school boy, I have always wished to study medicine and surgery in one of the federal government's tertiary schools in Nigeria. In 2015, I left my home for a pre-degree(basic) course at the unique University of Port Harcourt, but my choice of course was never medicine and surgery but nursing due to some advice I got from a friend. I was very happy then, leaving my father's house for the first time to go study at one of the prestigious universities in Nigeria.
Doing a pre-degree at the University of Port Harcourt was never an easy task at all, as it was more competitive to get admitted into the course you actually came to study. The fear of not getting it made me stay awake both day and night studying just to get admitted into the nursing department, and trust me, it wasn't funny at all. I used to be this chubby boy, but after this pre-degree program, I became skinny, like someone who hasn't eaten for a long time. Although, as I said earlier, it wasn't easy for me over there studying both day and night, the good thing was that I got admitted to the nursing department. The struggle wasn't easy, but consistency in reading made me get what I went there for. Trust me, family, God was faithful to me both then and now.
During my days as a pre-degree student, I met new friends like Felix and Oluka, who were my roommates; later, I made some good friends like Douglas, Marvelous, and Emmanuel.
These boys made my days cool as a basic student then. Going to night classes, shortcut tutorials, and the library with these friends was really fun and interesting.
100level 2016
I started the main struggle of getting the nursing degree as a student nurse in 2016, where I met my course mates and was appointed the class representative of that wonderful class. Year one wasn't easy for me, and as a fresher, everything was kind of new to me, but with the knowledge I gained during my pre-degree days, I was able to scale through. Combining class rep and study as a fresher wasn't easy, but my assistant assisted me both academically, submitting assignments, calling lecturers, etc., and it was really nice seeing her energy, support, and vibes. As a 100-level student, my seniors and lecturers will always tell you that you're not yet a nursing student, that you're under the sciences, and that you need to study hard so you can pass and come over to the department for proper grooming and lectures. It was really disheartening that, as a first-year student, I was still addressed as a science student and not a nursing student. God helped us after the first ASUU strike we experienced as a student, and we were promoted to the 200-level in 2017.
200level 2017
Wow, what a joy it was to answer the name "student nurse." We were all happy then because we would be going for clinical posting in the hospital, where we would be meeting patients on a daily basis. Trust me, it was really fun meeting patients as a baby nurse and putting on a stethoscope, even if we never knew how to use them. We kept on going to the hospital until we became used to the equipment and how to care for patients. Caring for patients was our top priority then and even now as a fully grown, certified registered nurse. We started studying anatomy and used Cardava (a dead body) as a study tool. At first, we were really afraid of seeing Cardava in the laboratory, but the lecturer will always tell you not to be afraid of it. Those words were really helpful and courageous.
300level 2018
At this level, the course was becoming tough and stressful, but we kept pushing until we got what we wanted. Posting was becoming rigorous and tiring, and classes were never easy as most times we left the hostel at 8 a.m. and returned by 6 p.m. hungry and tired. I started studying medical-surgical nursing at the 300-level, which is a very important course in the nursing department where you come to study about care plans for a patient. Trust me, this was the toughest course then, as you had to think critically to get what you needed for the patient's best care. We went for an educational visit to different centers in Port Harcourt, where we met the mentally challenged children, the disabled children, the children in the remand home, and the motherless baby's home. We also visited the social welfare home, where I learned how powerful a woman is in a violent relationship. If you want to learn how powerful women are, then comment on that in the comment section, and I will give you the answer.
I ended my 300-level with a strong posting you must go on as a nursing student, which is the almighty psychiatric posting, where I met the mentally challenged adults and also learned how to use the Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).
400level in 2019
My 400-level was also stressful as I started preparing for the almighty professional exam, which is generally known by everyone as the Council. Once the lecturers mentioned the council to anyone studying nursing, everyone will be quiet because it was a tough exam, and you'll be writing about all you've learned in nursing school. Trust me, writing the council exam was never an easy task for me then, but kudos to my tutorial master, who was always giving me courage that I would pass the exam, and to God be the glory, I became a Registered Nurse in 400-level 2021. Funny how I was in 400level in 2019 and also 400level 2021 right. COVID 19 took the entire 2020 from my academic year, and I was just at home without any academic activities.
500level 2021
In August 2021, I entered my final year as a nurse but was still referred to as a nursing student because I'm still a student and yet a registered nurse. This was the only level I wrote my entire semester exams in just 7 days, and trust me, it wasn't funny at all because it was stressful. In November 2021, I went for a community midwifery posting where I assisted midwives in taking deliveries and caring for pregnant women and newborn babies. The posting lasted for about 6 weeks. Immediately after the posting, my class went for another posting called "public health posting" at the Degema community in Rivers State in January 2022, which lasted for about 6 weeks before an outreach ended that posting. In February 2022, my wonderful HOD, which has been supporting us during each professional exam, surprised us with another tutorial for the midwifery exam, which was of great help to us all. In March 2022, I sat for the midwifery exam, following which I was certified as a Registered Midwife in April 2022. ASUU then gave me another striking shock, which kept me in school until December 2022, which is another December in 500-level. Writing my final project was another issue, too, because I was not that good at research. But with time, I learned how to do proper research, which was of great help. I spent a lot of time on this level, but, all thanks to God, it ended in praise. My sweet U2016 Phoenix class then graduated from the prestigious citadel of learning at the University of Port Harcourt in February 2023.
Finally, the Phoenix 16 class ended our stay in the university with a stylish rainbow picnic that was colorful (I will talk about that in my next post).
That was how I used 7 years to study nursing at a university. Going through the story, you'll understand why I always credit everything to God for the strength and courage he gave me all through my days as a student nurse. Now I'm a certified graduate nurse. There was never a session in which I did not experience the ASUU strike as a student.
Thank you for stopping by to read.
I love you!