As a child, I didn't see myself caring for people in the hospital, or assisting a surgery in the theatre. My dreams were not to be in the rich list, but i dreamt of making cars. Making my own brand of cars was a dream I chased until many years ago when i was still a teenager. I remember when i told my brother my dream of making a flying car. A car with wings like a helicopter. I still love cars, but i dont have the same zeal of making my brand as i used to have when i was a kid.
Seeing how misconceptions shaped the mindset of the people around me and how it affected their health and wellbeing, I began to develop the zeal for Nursing which i didn't initially notice. I remember those days when my mother used a book called Where There is No Doctor to manage our minor ailments.
I prefer scientifically proven logic over unexplained misconceptions, so, i began to develop some questions that could not be answered only by a medical practitioner. When the Ebola outbreak occurred, I could not do anything. We got news that if we bathed with a salt and warm water solution and also drink it, we will have a better chance of preventing ourselves from contracting the disease.
Due to lack of knowledge, we went ahead and did as they said. Later on, we got news that many people died because they drank salt water and bathed with it. Imagine drinking a strong concentration of salt solution and bathing with it because you lack knowledge.
When i heard this, i was sad. I could not do anything to save people. I could not even participate in caring for people or telling them the right thing to do, all because i knew nothing about health.
Me and my colleagues in our first year
I became determined to do more. I gradually lost my dreams of having my own car brand. My dreams changed to being a Nurse, and being able to assist people. I didn't want to be a doctor because according to the information i got, i was told that doctors just come, treat and go, but the nurse performs holistic care - caring for both the physical body, the soul and the mind. Now, thats what i wanted.
Many other things happened that further convinced me about being a Nurse. Fast forward to many years after the events, My mind was totally made up. I wrote JAMB but my score was not up to the cut off mark.
Me and my colleagues
That year passed. The next year, I bought a Nursing form from a College of Nursing. I wrote the nursing entrance exams, and i passed it. However, there was an obstacle between me and my dreams. That obstacle was money.
I had to pay a lot of fees as a fresher. The craziest thing was that the fee of almost a million Naira will only cover my expenses for the first 6 months. After the first 6 months, i will take another exams. If i fail the exams, I will pack my luggage and leave the school but if i passed, i would continue with my studies. Also, in subsequent semesters, if i dont do well in my exams, lets say i fail 5 courses, i will be demoted for 6 months, which means i will spend an extra 6 months in school.
Federal Medical Center Umuahia, Abia state
That was too much. I became scared, and i gave up instantly after spending over a hundred thousand Naira to secure the admission. I was not ready to spend 1M for just 6 months. What if i failed the exams? It made me sad, but then, I accepted reality.
After about a year or two, I saw another Nursing school. I bought the form, wrote the entrance exams and I was admitted in the school. Though they had the same strict expectations from their students as the previous school i got admission, the fees was much better and affordable.
That was how I became a pre-student Nurse. I faced a lot of challenges during the course of study. When it came time to write the decisive exams (the one that if you fail, you will go back home, and if you passed, you will continue), I was very tensed. I felt like being hit by a truck. Maybe that way, they will allow me to continue schooling without writing the exams. Thank God i did not go through with the plan.
After assisting a woman in Labour
After the exams, it took one week for our results to come out. That one week was the worst week of my life. Tension here and there. My mind was always thinking about the negative. What if i failed? what will people say? Would my family not be disappointed? How will i face my mom? I even planned on offing myself because the voices in my head were too loud. Since i dint run mad during that time, I don't think i will ever run mad.
Results came out, and I passed but some of my friends failed. Out of 83 students, 50 passed and 33 failed. Again, out of these 50 students, only about 42 graduated while 8 were demoted and had to stay an extra 6 months. One of my close friend was demoted twice, which means he stayed back for an extra 1 year.
Long story short, after studying for some years, I graduated with good results. Throughout my stay in school, i didn't have any carryover, i did not fail any test or exams.
After graduation, I thought everything would be better, but it did not. When i started working, i began to understand many things as to why people complain about Nurses. Currently, i'm, a Nurse, A Midwife (I know it sounds odd.. I get that a lot), and a Family Planning provider.
A more recent picture of me as a staff nurse
So far, I have gathered a whole lot of experience, and I still want more experience. Currently, though i'm working in a state owned hospital, Aba General Hospital, i'm actively trying to further my Nursing career to the highest extent.
Being a staff Nurse was my dream and i have achieved it, but i still feel like i need to do more. I really need to change the perspective of people towards Nurses. I still don't know how i will do this, but i know for sure that I will do it. Not immediately, but definitely.
All images belongs to me. Though they are quite some old pictures of me