A Nurse ’s View from the Front Lines of COVID-19 in Namibia

By Irine Chelag ’at Birir , Nurse mentor ; Katherine Seaton, Former editorial officer, IntraHealth InternationalMay 12, 2020Irine Chelag’at Birir is a nurse in Namibia. We asked her to tell us more about her job, including how COVID-19 is affecting work for her and her fellow nurses in the country.Here’s what she told us.Why did you become a nurse?I grew up in a remote village in Kenya. My neighbor’s daughters were nurses and I admired the way they came home in uniform.When I received my acceptance letter from the nursing school, I was so happy, I was over the moon. The joy couldn ' t be described. I was admitted in one of the best nursing schools in Kenya and I was so happy.When I started, I thought nursing was just holding a needle and injecting it, but it’s so much more than that. I’ve learned so much about the diversity of nursing.For me, nursing and midwifery is not just a profession, it’s a calling. Nurses attend to people who need help when no one else will. They sacrifice their sleep, listen to people’s stories, and attend to extremely sick people, including those with highly infectious diseases. The same person opens the eye of a newborn and closes the eyes of a dying person with dignity.How has your background prepared you for this pandemic?Nurses are trained for emergencies like COVID-19. I am privileged to have gotten all the knowledge from the training school, the experience having worked for several years, as well ...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: COVID-19 International Nurses Day Global health security Nursing & Midwifery 2020 Youth Source Type: news