International Nurses Day: Zakhele’s road to success

International Nurses’ Day is commemorated each year on 12 May to mark the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth and to celebrate the achievements of the nursing profession.

This year, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses are continuing to serve on the frontlines.

This year’s theme is Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare. In a four part series, the Berea Mail interviews nurses local nurses to find out more about life on the frontlines.

Zakhele Ngwane is a clinical nurse working in trauma and emergency nursing at Netcare Parklands emergency department.

Stationed at the Overport hospital, Ngwane has faced the anxieties of the pandemic on a personal level while caring for the physical and psychological needs of those infected with the virus.

ALSO READ: International Nurses Day: Durban nurse shares how the pandemic changed her life

“We as nurses were anxious when nursing Covid-19 patients and we were scared of the risk of infecting our families, colleagues and other patients. The use of personal protecting equipment (PPE) and adhering to infection prevention and control protocols alleviated anxiety,” he said.

“The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of nurses in South Africa during lockdown. Nurses were allowed to go to work as essential workers to save lives. They were the first people to be in contact with Covid-19 positive patients, providing care, psychological support and preventing the spread of infection by educating them to isolate,” added Ngwane.

ALSO READ: ‘It’s so much more than medicine,’ says nurse

When defining the role of a nurse, Ngwane emphasised the importance of care and consideration.

“A nurse is a professional person trained not to be judgemental, and to understand patients’ and their families’ feelings during sickness. It is our job to provide holistic care, comfort, empathy, compassion and psychological support. We need to identify individual specific needs during sickness and ensures that problems are resolved,” he said.

A love for helping the community is what inspired Ngwane to pursue a career in nursing.

“I feel a sense of personal satisfaction when their problems and illnesses are resolved. The nursing profession offers a career of growth opportunities worldwide,” he said.

The nurse was born on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, where he attended primary and secondary school in Umzinto. He then moved to Kwamashu in 1993 to finish his secondary education and matriculated in 1994 at Gugulasha High School.

Coming from humble beginnings, Ngwane worked at a clothing factory from 1995 to 1997 to save up money for his tertiary education. It wasn’t until 2012 that he would resign from a sting of odd jobs to enrol in his nursing course.

“In 1998, I enrolled for a hospitality course at EThekwini College and worked as a chef at Sugar Mill Sun International Casino from 1999 to 2001. I worked for Sun international Finance Department at Sibaya Casino from 2002 to 2012. I resigned in 2012 to study nursing, and completed my Enrolled Nurse course at Netcare Education. I worked in different units and was awarded a bursary by Netcare to complete the course. In October 2015 I was employed as Enrolled Nurse at Netcare Parklands Emergency Department,” he said.

His career developed at Netcare Parklands as he studied towards a Diploma in General Nursing from 2016 to 2018 while he was employed as Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department.

“My career developed at Netcare Parklands Hospital when I was offered an opportunity to study for the advanced Diploma in Trauma and Emergency Nursing Science 2019. In January 2020 to date, I am employed as a clinical nurse in trauma and emergency in Netcare Parklands Hospital’s emergency department,” he said.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has been difficult, Ngwane said the community has shown support to nurses.

“As most patients were not allowed visitors, it was very sad for us to see how difficult it was for patients not to have any visits from their loved ones. Netcare implemented a family connect line to bridge the gap in communication between patients and their families during this difficult time. During the Covid-19 pandemic there was an occasional shortage of beds and extended waiting times in the emergency department that was alleviated, where possible, by transferring patients to other facilities that had available beds,” he concluded.

Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.

You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts

Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple