WATCH: Two tablets of compassion three times a day

Maternity unit manager Natasha Packree and nursing standards manager Lydia Mthimkulu believe being a nurse is a true calling in life, with a persona filled with compassion.

As the world still faces the daily challenges of a global pandemic, we highlight the women often on the frontline of caring for those affected by ill health and the Covid-19 virus.

Natasha has been a nurse for 12 years and has been at Life Bedford Gardens Hospital for a year.

“It’s always been my passion to work in a maternity ward. As you go through your course you are placed in different specialties, normally there is one which stands out. In my third year, I really felt maternity is where I wanted to be,” she said.

For Natasha, working in maternity is not just about caring for patients.

“There is an emotional aspect – not just mothers, you also deal with the emotions of fathers and therefore need a lot of patience,” she said.

Lydia has been a nurse for 16 years and has been at the hospital for seven years.

“I studied at the University of Pretoria. I became a unit manager at Life Roseacres Hospital and in 2013 I got the same position at Bedford and later became the nursing standards manager.”

Lydia said she is second in charge to the matron and sorts out problems and deals with patient and staffing complaints.

Both women agree that nursing is a calling.

“I am a person who is calm and compassionate, which fits well with the job,” said Lydia.

Her father was diabetic; she cared for him when she was younger.

“He would always say to me ‘I want you to be a staff nurse’, and I did not know what it meant exactly until I was older. I realised my father saw something in me and it definitely pushed me into nursing,” said Lydia.

Natasha explored various professions.

“I studied fashion design, and then I just decided one day to do something completely different. I enrolled for my nursing course and I fell in love with it,” she said.

Lydia and Natasha described being a nurse as a form of gratification and fulfillment.

“It doesn’t matter how big or small – you get some sort of satisfaction at the end of your shift knowing you made a small difference in someone’s life,” said Natasha.

Lydia included being there for both patient and family by consoling them is a gift.

“When I see a patient discharged, it fills my heart with joy.”

For Lydia, the hardest part of the job is to inform families when a patient is not doing well.

“I have heard a number of screams over the phone – it never gets easier. It breaks my heart every time,” she said.

The knowledge that she has done her best in caring for her patients is what keeps her going.

Natasha said death is a difficult thing for everyone involved.

“In my unit, having to deal with the death of a baby is the worst experience. I cannot really tell you how I cope. It’s something you just have to do,” she told the NEWS.

“You cannot break down in front of a patient, even though we are also human. You have to contain yourself and be there for the patient emotionally and try and comfort them.”

For both Lydia and Natasha, dealing with Covid-19 has taken the personal touch of caring for patients away for both women.

“You can only touch a person while wearing gloves. And then you have to leave. A huge part of our profession has been stripped away.”

“We cannot console anyone with a hug anymore as we once did,” said Lydia.

Due to Covid-19, perceptions have changed, as Lydia and Natasha feel many are being more appreciative of the job they do.

Being a nurse is a demanding job, and both nurses find it difficult to switch off or cannot at all.

“At times you carry the day’s problems right into your home, but you just need to find a balance,” said Lydia.

According to the health-care workers, those considering a career in nursing must identify their reasons for wanting to be a nurse.

“This job is a calling,” said Natasha. Lydia reminded others of the nurses pledge when questioning yourself.