Former cleaner on 'super nurse' list
[caption id="attachment_35715" align="alignright" width="405"] TOP OF THEIR GAME: The seven Port Elizabeth and Humansdorp nurses who have been named among Life Healthcare's Top 100 nurses countrywide are, back, from left, Lynette Myburgh, Bekiwe Mdaka, Laeticia Steyn, Carol Claasen, and front, Carol Booysen, Nicolene Botha and Janine Prince. Picture: BRIAN WITBOOI[/caption]
A KWAZAKHELE woman who worked her way up from being a cleaner at a frail care centre to qualifying as a registered nursing professional 13 years later, has been honoured as one of a national healthcare group's top 100 nurses.
Six other nurses at Life St George's Hospital, Life Hunterscraig Psychiatric Hospital and Life Mercantile Hospital in Port Elizabeth and Life Isivivana in Humansdorp also made the top 100 list for their exceptional contributions.
Life Healthcare regional manager Bruce Janssens said the group employed about 7000 nurses nationally.
"It is truly a great honour and privilege for the nurses nominated to receive this prestigious accolade among such a large and diverse group of professionals," he said.
"To be noticed, recognised and nominated by your peers as being the kind of professional that they would like to be, is a true indication that you are indeed making a difference in the lives of your patients, their loved ones, our doctors and allied professionals and your colleagues."
Bekiwe Mdaka said she was absolutely delighted by the award. "When they called my name I could just say 'thank you' to God for making me the person I am today. I couldn't believe it. It is just through the grace of God that I am where I am today."
Mdaka started working at the Lorraine Frail Care Centre in 2000 as a cleaner, and worked and studied her way up to being a registered nurse there in 2013.
In their motivation for the honour filed by her colleagues at the centre, they stated: "She is a true lady who is an inspiration to us all ... She passed her final exams with honours. She has received a number of certificates recognising her for her valuable contribution during her training. She has the ability to take charge when needed and is never afraid to make decisions."
Lynette Myburgh was honoured for her exceptional contribution in implementing a number of crucial projects at Life St George's Hospital. These included the standardisation of paediatric emergency trolleys, the Little Kidz programme preparing children for surgery, and her leading role in the baby-friendly hospital initiative and the diabetic clinic.
The unit manager of the day ward at the hospital, Carol Booysen, was honoured for establishing a "positive practice environment by being professional, empathetic and unbiased in the way she works with doctors, staff and patients".
"She is seen as the rock and the backbone of the day theatre and the day ward under very challenging circumstances," her colleagues wrote in their motivation.
Janine Prince of Life Mercantile Hospital was honoured for her dedication to ongoing nursing education through the Life College of Learning and NMMU.
The manager of the hospital's busy maternity unit, Carol Claasen, was honoured for her role in training students as midwives and in the standardisation of maternity practices at her unit. She was singled out by doctors for praise for being an exceptional advocate for her patients.
Nicolene Botha from Life Isivivana in Humansdorp was honoured for her aplomb in handling the two difficult portfolios of palliative care and infection prevention at the hospital.
A woman who has earned the nickname of Life Hunterscraig's own Florence Nightingale, Laeticia Steyn, was nominated for being an exceptional listener and for her attention to her patients, often leading to her being the first person to detect any threatening abnormalities in ill patients being admitted to the unit. - Estelle Ellis
