12 May 2021

International Nurses\’ Day takes place each year on the 12th of May to mark the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth and to celebrate the nursing profession. In the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses all over the world were in the frontline and are still continuing to save our communities. As we celebrate this year’s International Nurses’ day, Anova Health Institute honours all our nurses and what they continue to do. In commemorating this special day, we journey with our nurses who highlight the significance of their profession during this pandemic, being a voice to lead and a visionary for future healthcare. Daleen Wilhelmina Carolissen, Western Cape, who started her career in Poly Clinic at Tygerberg Hospital in 1993, says she’s wanted to be a nurse since she was 17. Daleen has been with Anova Health for 16 months now. This is her journey. When did you know you wanted to be a nurse? At the tender age of 17, I accompanied my Grandma to hospital where I firsthand witnessed the compassion and care from Nurses. Please tell us about your role at Anova. I am currently employed as an Area Manager at Anova APACE Western Cape for the Northern District, where I am managing teams in collaboration with other line managers to enable them to provide Health System Strengthening and Quality improvement to the Department of Health. I am responsible for program reports to the Cluster Manager, I am also responsible to develop and plan strategies to achieve the 95-95-95 in HIV/TB in our Sub-district. I provide Clinical training and advice to Clinicians in the HIV/TB field and support the implementation of new projects like PREP to the Sub-district. What do you love most about being a nurse? I know that through my career I can influence change, and changing people’s lives for the better is the best reward, even if it’s only by providing the highest standard of care and respect to our patients that makes me happy. Many life skills I have learnt through my career is to listen, how to communicate, when to lead, when to follow, when to be patient. The list is endless. How have you managed to navigate working through a pandemic? Gaining as much knowledge as I could about COVID – 19 and even providing training to others about the pandemic and how to deal with it helped a lot. Because of my adaptable nature, adjusting to the new normal was not disruptive to me. The challenge was to influence others to follow suit. What does International Nurses’ Day mean to you? Personally, it is the one day in the year specially set aside for me to celebrate my colleagues across the universe, but especially those close to me. It also is an opportunity for those who we, as Nurses so passionately care for; to pause and just celebrate with us. What advice would you give someone who would like to follow your career path?  Becoming a Nurse have to be for the right reason which is to pledge yourself to the service of humanity as we so proudly say. It is not an easy path, like all other careers it has its ups and downs, not all patients are appreciative or respectful-how you react to that is a choice- make the right one. Mafoko Rachel Sesana, Capricorn, was only eight –  years old when she knew she wanted to be a nurse. Mafoko is a clinical nurse mentor and has been with Anova Health for five years. This is her journey. When did you know you wanted to be a nurse? When I was 8 years old and in primary school, I was cast in a school play as a nurse and my mom went to a jumble sale to buy me a little white overall that I wore to the play and I remember feeling so clean and so proud of being a nurse What and where was your first nursing job? I went to the then Gazankulu College of Nursing and started as a student nurse and went to Nkhensani Hospital for practicals and worked for the first time as a professional nurse at Msengi Clinic. Please tell us about your role at Anova. I am working as a clinical nurse mentor, I am responsible for tele mentoring, on site mentoring and giving technical advice on matters related to HIV, TB and now COVID – 19. I also do file audits and sometimes direct service delivery through seeing of clients where possible and in-service trainings for staff when necessary. What do you love most about being a nurse? You get to work with people who come to you with a certain challenge or sickness not knowing how to help themselves but when they leave your consultation they are way better than they were when they arrive emotionally, physically and spiritually. You’re actually working with God to help His people. How have you managed to navigate working through a pandemic? Working as a team helps, the support of the company the provision of PPE and continuing with the updating on the new development on the virus. What does International Nurses’ Day mean to you? It means a day where at least nurses get credit for being heroes and heroines, and a day where we get to look at the masses of nurses and thank God that we are not doing this alone, but we have each other. What advice would you give someone who would like to follow your career path? They should be passionate and love people and know that in dealing with a person’s life there are no second takes, so they should be sure of what they are doing. Busisiwe Tshabalala, COJ, was inspired to be a nurse by her grandmother. Busisiwe has been with Anova Health for two years, she is a Professional Nurse at Zola Community Health Clinic. This is her journey. When did you know you wanted to be a nurse? I think