People’s Post spoke to a few nurses to find out what the profession meant to them.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Noerjan Morkel (57), a clinical nurse practitioner at Lady Michaelis Community Day Centre in Plumstead, being a nurse is a divine purpose.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She has been in the nursing field <\/a>for 37 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her father wanted her to become a doctor, but she instead followed in the footsteps of her two aunts.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I have two aunts that are nurses. One if them is currently 68 years old and she is still nursing. She retired and is on contract now. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Her care and dedication to the profession made me identify with her. I wanted to do law, but God had other plans for me.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morkel believes she was a born nurse.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Care, compassion, dedication and helping people are all qualities I had that inspired me to become a nurse. My patients make me feel special. “Working with people is the best that could’ve ever happened to me, and I go that extra mile for them. I can’t stop thanking God for sending me here.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morkel says she proudly wears her epaulettes.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This was the first year that I felt like it was Nurses’ Day. I felt proud. Just wearing my uniform with my epaulettes makes me feel that I deserve to wear it. I am proud of being a nurse. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I can boast about myself because I am a good nurse.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n She encourages nurses to invest in their well-being.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I take leave when needed and often go and see a counsellor whenever needed. I have learnt to set boundaries, and I try and exercise a lot. I like spending time with family and friends too.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aeysha Wagiet is an advanced Midwife at Mowbray Maternity Hospital for the past 27 years.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n She explains that a midwife plays a vital role in providing patients with support during childbirth.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Helping patients with pain relief and being very attentive and explaining each procedure. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Identifying any problems and managing it as per standard procedures and protocols.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I would always inform partners and family and continuously update family members regarding a patient’s condition. Communication with families is very important to address any fear or anxiety that the family may feel.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wagiet believes Nurses’ Day is an opportunity to uplift the nursing profession.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I focus on my own well-being by ensuring that nursing staff work in a safe environment. I always try to keep my staff motivated to do their best in any situation.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rondebosch resident Sesethu Magqashela has been a midwife for the past two years.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n His passion for the profession was sparked following an injury during a rugby game. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The nurses that took care of me inspired me to come out of my depression.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Magqashela believes the biggest challenge in the health profession today is shortage of staff.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Shortages of well-trained nurses. After covid I noticed an increase in mental health illnesses.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You firstly need to be very sure as nursing is not just a job for security. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You need to have the passion, the drive, endurance and heart to become a nurse.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" They are known as the backbone of the health sector and often go beyond the call of duty to ensure patients are taken care of.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":69623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"2025-05-20","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"4","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"1","article_feature_type":"normal","article_main_image_caption":"Ayesha Wagiet. photo: Supplied","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"Kaylynne Bantom","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"Kaylynne Bantom","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"It is a calling for them","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["ZkbNurses_20May_P1","ZkbNurses_20May_P2","ZkbNurses_20May_P3"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[93,7890,7904],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-69448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured","tag-health-wellness","tag-local-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"International](\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Zkbnurse-1-768x1024.jpg\")
![\"International](\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Zkbnurse-3-462x1024.jpg\")