Nurses to retire after 40 years of service

Having dedicated their lives to nursing, like Florence Nightingale, “The Lady with the Lamp”, Life the Glynnwood’s Sue van Emmenis and Winnie Ndlovu are retiring after enjoying careers of more than 40 years in the profession.

After taking a vow to care for those in need, they have spent their careers on the frontline staring pandemics like Covid-19 and HIV/AIDS in the eye.

Throughout, they were comforted by their pledge to the service of humanity and to practice their profession with conscience and dignity.

A nurse for 42 years, Benoni resident Van Emmenis is a manager in the high care unit of the hospital. She took her learnings from the Far East Rand College to heart and endeavoured to contribute positively to the lives of others.

The nurses’ pledge is her motto as she decided early that religion, nationality, or social standing will not stand between her duty and her patient.

“When I started nursing it was wonderful. I nursed at a provincial hospital. Back then, medical aids weren’t as big as they are now. At our hospital we had both private and government hospital patients. All patients were treated the same,” she said.

Her career has taken her to war-torn countries, treating patients caught in the crossfire.

“I worked in Libya in 2010 when the war broke out. The French government opened a hospital there for their expats. I was in the country for two weeks. This broke my heart as we treated children, women, and men – all being shot to pieces.

“We did our best to help. However the French government evacuated the team. It was awful leaving, knowing that the people we left behind no longer had medical help.”

Ndlovu’s career began 46-years ago at Rand Mutual Hospital. She then went to Sunward Hospital for a year and in 1991 joined Life the Glynnwood where her career took off.

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“I started working in theatre and was afforded the opportunity to study to become a registered nurse, obtaining a certificate in oncology. I also studied community nursing through the University of Johannesburg. I later worked in the hospital’s wards for one year, and then moved to the high care unit,” she said.

She said dealing with different people every day taught her empathy and respect.

“Nursing makes you strong, not just in your role, but also as a person in your everyday life. I have learnt much about medication.

“Nursing is not simply about nursing a patient, but about how you treat people. I do my best to treat my patients as I would like to be treated.”

The hospital was one of the epicentres of Covid-19, with nurses on the frontline caring for those infected.

How did the pandemic affect them and how has it changed the profession?

“When the waves were at their peak, there were many people who couldn’t see their families. I remember having to inform a daughter of a patient that her mom had passed away. She had not seen her mom since dropping her off at the emergency unit. At that time, she could not come into the hospital. This was heart-breaking,” said Van Emmenis.

Ndlovu stated that certain protective medical gear was taken for granted but Covid has changed all that.

“Before Covid PPEs were taken for granted. Now the nursing profession has a greater respect for the role of PPEs in managing the spread of various infections. This has also spilled over into our personal lives at home too,” Ndlovu said.

As they open the next chapters of their lives, Van Emmenis will continue nursing albeit on an ad hoc basis. She plans to spend more time with her family.

Although Ndlovu won’t be in the profession, she will continue her service to humanity by providing water to drought-stricken communities in North West through a borehole drilled in 2012.

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