Opinion / Columnist
Many Zimbabweans in the UK abandon their professions to become nurses
07 Jan 2019 at 15:51hrs | Views
Nurses do enjoy a diverse and rewarding career that really makes a difference. Nurses act as leaders, carers and clinicians, taking responsibility for the care they provide to patients. They are life givers so to say and indeed being a nurse is a rewarding profession.
In the UK Zimbabweans who become nurses find themselves Being leaders Experienced nurses find fulfilling careers in positions of responsibility, often running nurse-led clinics, or taking leadership roles at executive level. It is possible to develop your career in clinical, research, education and management roles Unlike nurses in Zimbabwe who are passive UK nurses have a different play ground they can challenge the doctors they are paid some ridiculous salaries of between thirty to fifty pounds per hour.
A typical day in nursing is busy and diverse; nurses don't just work in hospitals. There are opportunities to work in GP surgeries, clinics, nursing and residential homes, occupational health services, voluntary organisations, the pharmaceutical industry, or in the military.
The qualifications you'll need To work as a nurse, you need a diploma or a degree in nursing and you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). You'll need to choose which of the four nursing specialisms (adult, children, mental health, or learning disability) you'd like to study. Nursing requires a high level of technical competence and clinical decision-making skills. To develop these, you'll spend half of your nursing degree on supervised placements in local hospital and community. Most Zimbabwean nurse share their experiences of working as a diaspora nurse on a variety of initiatives including supporting the diaspora element.
Working in multiculturally diverse crisis and intensive care inpatient mental health services, One is interested in how to contribute to reducing inequalities and in the impact of cultural beliefs and views on health and social services. With experiences in nursing a formal diaspora group would provide greater opportunities for involvement and leadership. Alas that has not been done yet. The group should be Acknowledging the importance of addressing broader interrelated physical and social health care needs, the group could expand to include a wide range of health professionals and members with a variety of skills, both in the UK and Zimbabwe.
The nursing frenzy was created by the Home Office. In order to curb the serious shortage of nurses the British government adopted a wide open door system where any one who wanted to enter into nursing would just come to train. Entry qualifications was lowered and a simple bridging course otherwise known as a Access to nursing was introduced. So nursing then became the easiest course to enrol in. Those who left Zimbabwe with no O levels at all would wake up being nurses. This then opened gates to nursing and as a result ninety percent of Zimbabweans in England are nurses. To make things more attractive anybody doing nursing would find it easy to regularise his stay in the UK. So nursing became a bridge to a visa. This encouraged all without visas and without ordinary levels to do nursing. In a flight to Zimbabwe ninety nine percent of passengers would be in a health profession. Special applaud must be directed to these heroes.
They managed to turn their nothing to something. They have achieved what those left at home had failed to achieve. While one became a nurse out of nothing most are being struck off because they failed to control their mouths. Most are struck off for silly things which are said in a fit of show off. Once you become a nurse you need to maintain the standard of such nursing regime. Having qualified out of nothing most lose it out of nothing. No sweat no gain. Nurses in diaspora face a lot of humiliation by the staff and patients alike. They are discriminated because of colour and they are literally walking on the egg shells. Their situation is volatile and they leave in fear of being struck off anytime. Very few clever nurses use nursing as launching pad and catapult themselves to greater heights.
It is however correct that most nurses are in it for money and visa. If all diaspora is to come back home Zimbabwe will have one nurse to two patience.
But the nursing profession has its fair share of problems. Many nurses are regretting even having taken nursing as a course. While it has served its purpose nurses are the most troubled lot. They are treated in a bad way and literally walking on egg shells. A nurse goes to work wondering if she will be back with her pin intact. A pin is registration number which allows a nurse to practice her profession.
Most nurses get into trouble and they have their profession thrown out in the bin over flimsy reasons. A Zimbabwean nurse name witheld was hauled before the NMC competence panel because he slept at work. As if sleeping was not enough a patient died while the Zimbabwean nurse was sleeping.
He was reported to the Nmc and indeed he was adjudged to be a danger to the public and vulnerable. He was struck off in the meantime his colleague who was of a different colour was said to have been lawfully sleeping. The intricacies involved in practice coupled with your colour makes the profession seriously knee shaking and flabbergasting. Most nurses end up in serious depression.
Another Zimbabwean nurse discovered that talking too much was dangerous when she told another white nurse that a coloured is a term used for a mixed race in Zimbabwe. She went on to say coloureds from Arcadia where known to be very dodgy and violent. A very casual talk turned into a big legal battle where she was being accused of being insensitive to the mixed race. Her fitness to practice was found to be impaired and in a swift flash her profession was in the bottom of the bin.
While the hard press on attitude by the NMC helps to bring efficiency it becomes a targeted affair. By the virtue of their outstanding colour black nurses are more often reported and punished while their light skinned friends escape with nothing. A profession where you are measured by the safety of the public is indeed a challenge.
Nursing in UK while its paying it has become so strict as to send shocking waves down the spine of many. The profession becomes knee shaking and disturbing. Many nurses have been struck off for cases they would go without even a reprimand in Zimbabwe. The challenge is when a Zimbabwean trained nurse who believes that a patient should look up to a nurse comes to UK. Her stubbornness and ego will not last two days. Racism packaged as a duty of care is parcelled out to those of different colour at an alarming level.
While nursing is a very noble profession it becomes very stressful when your every move is under a microscopic scrutiny.
Vazet2000@yahoo.co.uk
In the UK Zimbabweans who become nurses find themselves Being leaders Experienced nurses find fulfilling careers in positions of responsibility, often running nurse-led clinics, or taking leadership roles at executive level. It is possible to develop your career in clinical, research, education and management roles Unlike nurses in Zimbabwe who are passive UK nurses have a different play ground they can challenge the doctors they are paid some ridiculous salaries of between thirty to fifty pounds per hour.
A typical day in nursing is busy and diverse; nurses don't just work in hospitals. There are opportunities to work in GP surgeries, clinics, nursing and residential homes, occupational health services, voluntary organisations, the pharmaceutical industry, or in the military.
The qualifications you'll need To work as a nurse, you need a diploma or a degree in nursing and you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). You'll need to choose which of the four nursing specialisms (adult, children, mental health, or learning disability) you'd like to study. Nursing requires a high level of technical competence and clinical decision-making skills. To develop these, you'll spend half of your nursing degree on supervised placements in local hospital and community. Most Zimbabwean nurse share their experiences of working as a diaspora nurse on a variety of initiatives including supporting the diaspora element.
Working in multiculturally diverse crisis and intensive care inpatient mental health services, One is interested in how to contribute to reducing inequalities and in the impact of cultural beliefs and views on health and social services. With experiences in nursing a formal diaspora group would provide greater opportunities for involvement and leadership. Alas that has not been done yet. The group should be Acknowledging the importance of addressing broader interrelated physical and social health care needs, the group could expand to include a wide range of health professionals and members with a variety of skills, both in the UK and Zimbabwe.
The nursing frenzy was created by the Home Office. In order to curb the serious shortage of nurses the British government adopted a wide open door system where any one who wanted to enter into nursing would just come to train. Entry qualifications was lowered and a simple bridging course otherwise known as a Access to nursing was introduced. So nursing then became the easiest course to enrol in. Those who left Zimbabwe with no O levels at all would wake up being nurses. This then opened gates to nursing and as a result ninety percent of Zimbabweans in England are nurses. To make things more attractive anybody doing nursing would find it easy to regularise his stay in the UK. So nursing became a bridge to a visa. This encouraged all without visas and without ordinary levels to do nursing. In a flight to Zimbabwe ninety nine percent of passengers would be in a health profession. Special applaud must be directed to these heroes.
They managed to turn their nothing to something. They have achieved what those left at home had failed to achieve. While one became a nurse out of nothing most are being struck off because they failed to control their mouths. Most are struck off for silly things which are said in a fit of show off. Once you become a nurse you need to maintain the standard of such nursing regime. Having qualified out of nothing most lose it out of nothing. No sweat no gain. Nurses in diaspora face a lot of humiliation by the staff and patients alike. They are discriminated because of colour and they are literally walking on the egg shells. Their situation is volatile and they leave in fear of being struck off anytime. Very few clever nurses use nursing as launching pad and catapult themselves to greater heights.
It is however correct that most nurses are in it for money and visa. If all diaspora is to come back home Zimbabwe will have one nurse to two patience.
Most nurses get into trouble and they have their profession thrown out in the bin over flimsy reasons. A Zimbabwean nurse name witheld was hauled before the NMC competence panel because he slept at work. As if sleeping was not enough a patient died while the Zimbabwean nurse was sleeping.
He was reported to the Nmc and indeed he was adjudged to be a danger to the public and vulnerable. He was struck off in the meantime his colleague who was of a different colour was said to have been lawfully sleeping. The intricacies involved in practice coupled with your colour makes the profession seriously knee shaking and flabbergasting. Most nurses end up in serious depression.
Another Zimbabwean nurse discovered that talking too much was dangerous when she told another white nurse that a coloured is a term used for a mixed race in Zimbabwe. She went on to say coloureds from Arcadia where known to be very dodgy and violent. A very casual talk turned into a big legal battle where she was being accused of being insensitive to the mixed race. Her fitness to practice was found to be impaired and in a swift flash her profession was in the bottom of the bin.
While the hard press on attitude by the NMC helps to bring efficiency it becomes a targeted affair. By the virtue of their outstanding colour black nurses are more often reported and punished while their light skinned friends escape with nothing. A profession where you are measured by the safety of the public is indeed a challenge.
Nursing in UK while its paying it has become so strict as to send shocking waves down the spine of many. The profession becomes knee shaking and disturbing. Many nurses have been struck off for cases they would go without even a reprimand in Zimbabwe. The challenge is when a Zimbabwean trained nurse who believes that a patient should look up to a nurse comes to UK. Her stubbornness and ego will not last two days. Racism packaged as a duty of care is parcelled out to those of different colour at an alarming level.
While nursing is a very noble profession it becomes very stressful when your every move is under a microscopic scrutiny.
Vazet2000@yahoo.co.uk
Source - Dr Masimba Mavaza
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