Award: Nurse Innovator/Excellence in Nursing (B1)

Recipient: Ms Kwatsha Notshe

 An interview with the Nurse Innovator/Excellence in Nursing award recipient, Ms Tembisa Kwatsha Notshe

1. What does receiving this award mean to you personally and professionally?
(We are curious about how it resonates with your journey and how you hope it might encourage others.)

Receiving this award came to me as a shock. I am someone who always thinks about the next person. I never knew that there was someone watching and acknowledging what I do when I even think it is not enough. I first was shocked and only later became excited about it. I am very thankful and appreciative of it, and I then shared it on all platforms, starting from Head Office WhatsApp groups to the facility ones, and many friends and colleagues applauded me.

2. Looking back, is there a moment or contribution in your nursing career that you feel especially proud of?
(It could be a breakthrough, a turning point, or something that made a lasting difference.)

One moment that I will never forget was my performance during the COVID-19 era when I, as a nurse manager, had to take the lead without the option of reversing or turning back. [I remember] looking at the health officials dying in numbers from COVID-19, but still having to stand for patients and for staff. The fears in patients of being looked after by people who had covered themselves from head to toe. The frustration of the relatives I had to deal with, having to break the bad news, on a daily basis, of relatives having lost loved ones. While you are still dealing with that, you then hear about a staff member who also died from COVID-19. As if that was not enough, your own family also relies on you for advice. Shortages of staff, having to step in. Once I had to work both day and night in ICU with the Unit manager and a community service nurse, looking after 16 patients, but God has always been good all the time, as most, including myself, survived the pandemic.

3. Who has been an important mentor in your nursing career?
(We would love to hear about someone who helped shape your path.)

To be honest, I have always been my own mentor. Whenever I see someone doing good, I always strive to beat the person and do better.

4. What motivates you in your nursing career?
(Whether it is the people, the challenges, or the purpose, what keeps you going?)

I always find myself at the forefront wherever I set my foot, without even noticing. I have a passion for what I am doing, I always give [my] all, whether there is someone watching or not. I always find myself being the trusted one with responsibilities, and I never want to disappoint.

5. How do you keep your practice fresh and informed in a field that is always evolving?
(Feel free to share how you engage with new knowledge, research, or teaching.)

Artificial intelligence is my key source of keeping fresh. Artificial intelligence is my only source of keeping abreast with new knowledge. In my busy schedule, I also learn a lot from other people’s presentations in meetings. My teaching is mostly in the form of meetings, where I must conduct research on certain concepts before talking to them, so that I can be able to respond to questions.

6. What is next for you? Are there any goals or hopes you are working toward in your professional journey?
(We are interested in what growth or impact you are aiming for, whether big or small.)

I am the Nursing Service Manager of the institution that covers two facilities which are 7km apart, and together with that, I am currently acting as the Chief Executive Officer for both facilities. That means I am not only responsible for nurses, but [also] for everyone and everything in both facilities. Looking at my age also, I am not getting any younger. I feel this is enough to carry; my direction is looking towards the gate now, and I do not have any regrets. I thank you