10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW AS A NEWLY QUALIFIED NIGERIAN NURSE

Hello friends, congratulations on your new success! As you Start your nursing career in Nigeria, I’ve got a few tips that will help you. 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW AS A NEWLY QUALIFIED NIGERIAN NURSE. These are a few things I wished I knew before I began my nursing journey. However, from my experience and relationship with colleagues, relatives and Patients over the years, I had put these together to guide you. This is strictly for the newly graduated nurses in NIGERIA. 1.) Nobody got your back. When you start your new job whether at a private or public establishment, always have it in mind that you’re on your own and be ready to take responsibilities for your actions. Your nursing organisation (NANNM ) may seem they’ve got you covered, don’t fall for it, it’s a trap. Do everything not to get into trouble with anyone, it may not end well. 2.) Hope for the best, be prepared for the worst. As you begin your journey in nursing, be open minded and be prepared. It is good to have beautiful goals and aspirations but like you may have known, things may not go as planned sometimes. Always have option B in place. As you care for those ailing patients, many may recuperate while you may have to nurse others to a peaceful death. Don’t get emotional, it is part of nursing. 3.) Your salary will never be enough In Nigeria, salaries are not being paid for you to be wealthy but to survive and in many cases, many can’t survive on their salaries. Find a side hustle that pays. Learn a side a hustle that fetches you money. Many wealthy nurses are entrepreneurs. 4.) Your patients are not your friends. This may look strange to you but in the actual sense, this is the fact. You’re not a father Xmas, everyone can not be your friend. Treating everyone equally while maintaining your professional boundary will safe your career. Be mindful of the information you disseminate to them about your colleagues and the place where you work. These information could be used against you when relationship goes sour. 5.) The Quacks are not your enemies. The quacks are not your enemies and as long as you will be working in Nigeria, there are possibilities you’ll work with them at one point or the other. For your sanity, don’t fight them but at always, strive to uphold your professional standards. 6.) BN.sc or post basic, the choice is yours. This is one of the toughest decision you have to make in nursing if you’re a school of nursing graduate. It it true you may need guidance at this point but the decision is entirely yours to make. Your goals and aspirations, the resources at your disposal and whether you’ve got a capable sponsor will influence this decision. Advanced nursing studies are not cheap. 7.) Your career first, other things follow. I didn’t realise this at the early stage of my nursing journey. Thank God it wasn’t late for me. Be selfish about your career, invest so much in it. You want to be a nursing advocate? You want to be a unionist? Please put your career FIRST There’s an adage where I came from “Omo ti owo e oba tii te ekuida, Koni beere iku topa baba ohun” Your career first, other things follow. 8.) Your licence is what makes you a nurse, don’t sell it cheap. Apart from your skills which are important, the next valuable thing you’ve got is your licence. Many employers will want to employ you for this purpose, some will approach you to sell or loan it for them to open their hospitals. Don’t sell it cheap. It is your pride, you earn it with your sweats and blood. 9.) Nursing will make you fly When they tell you nursing will make you fly, it is not a joke. Be prepared for it Be ready for it Equip yourself, so that when the opportunity comes, it doesn’t elude you. 10.) Respect yourself if you want to be respected. You’ve known so much for you to become a Nurse, nursing is not a child’s play. You may look small but you’ve got so much to offer so don’t let anyone ridicule you and don’t ridicule yourself. Respect yourself, your colleagues and people around you. Dress not to kill but the way you want to be addressed. I welcome you to the world of nursing and I wish all the best.