dyton mupawaenda
Leonard Ncube-Victoria Falls Reporter
WENDY Ncube’s path to success has been a challenging one, marred by adversity, including gender-based violence in her personal life.
However, it is her unwavering passion, dedication, and resilience that have propelled her to achieve greatness. At the age of 29, she recently was at the public graduation at Hwange Colliery Hospital School of Nursing, although she qualified at the end of 2018 but the graduation ceremony was postponed because of Covid-19.
From about 100 nursing graduates, Ncube emerged as the overall best student, earning an impressive five awards.
Her journey began at the age of 22 when she embarked on her training at Hwange Colliery Hospital School of Nursing, culminating in her graduation in 2018. However, due to financial constraints and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the graduation ceremony only took place recently, covering intakes from 2016 to 2020.
In 2018, Ncube furthered her training as an intensive care nurse at Mater Dei in Bulawayo, where she earned a silver medal for coronary care nursing in 2021 at the national level. Her talents didn’t go unnoticed, and she was soon recruited by Trauma Centre in Harare, where she currently serves. Last year, the Trauma Centre sent her to South Africa for training in catheterisation laboratory nursing.
Despite the obstacles she faced during her SRGN training, Ncube’s dedication and hard work led her to earn several accolades, including the Hwange Colliery Company managing director’s prize for the highest marks in the State final examinations, CMO’s trophy for the highest marks in the hospital final examinations, the best performance in the ward management assessment trophy sponsored by CAPS, and the Glaxo-Smith Kline trophy for the best academic performance throughout her training. These awards collectively earned her the title of the overall best graduating student.
After the graduation ceremony, student nurses flocked to her, eager to know the secret of her success. Ncube attributes her achievements to hard work, dedication, and an unwavering passion for nursing.
“For me the awards that I got reflect the hard work, dedication and passion that I have always had and also goes on to show the type of nurse that I am. I am someone who is dedicated and eager to learn to excel and improve my nursing career.
“To young girls I want to say, the sky is the limit. When you get admitted for studies, don’t end there. Give it your best, try to be the best in everything. I never failed any module and never used anyone’s assignment (chitunha in students’ language),” she said.
For Ncube, nursing is more than a profession; it’s a calling. Her journey was not without its share of personal challenges, including a difficult relationship that resulted in the birth of her son, who is now eight years old. Her mother stepped in to care for her child while she pursued her education in the nurse’s hostels.
“I am happy now as I got emancipated. I got my way out of a rough relationship and I can take care of myself and my son. I am so content with my situation now and my son is going to school. I am happy because it is motherhood that drives me to be a better version of myself.
“It was motherhood that gave me the energy to focus and why I am putting much effort on work because on the back of my mind there is always my son,” said Ncube.
Ncube’s educational journey began at Lusumbami Primary School in Number 5, followed by Marist Brothers Secondary School in Dete, where she completed her Form 4. She then attended Fatima High School Mission for her Advanced Level studies. Her nursing training commenced in 2016, and by 2018, she had completed her three-year course.
Currently employed at Trauma Centre in Borrowdale, Ncube is committed to her calling as a nurse. She believes that nursing is not just a profession but a lifelong vocation.
“I believe nursing is a calling for me. There is a lot of work and it needs dedication, so for me it has always been a passion to do better.
“The journey was tough but I thank the group tutor Mr Maduma who kept on encouraging us and the former PT Mrs LL Moyo for her dedication in moulding me into what I am today.
“My graduation today for the RGN is an achievement. I also got five awards one of them being the overall best student meaning I excelled academically and practically with the highest mark at state final level. I am one person who loves to read and seize every opportunity and in five years I see myself with a degree or with a Masters,” she said.
Online Reporter