Be Part of the Change You Want to See

My Background

“Ever since I could remember, I had never thought of leaving my home country, let’s just say it seemed like I was in my “comfort zone”. But life has a way of showing you how to fill up the gaps that you didn’t know existed. Randomly as I was scrolling through social media platforms, I came across an advert highlighting nurses and midwives relocating to the US and UK and something clicked in me, it felt like a spark waiting to ignite into a flame once I decided to start preparing myself for the opportunity. The process began in July 2022 and to be honest, it was never a straightforward one, which made me realise it’s never easy to leave your comfort zone (makes sense why most people don’t want to do so.)

I finally relocated to the UK in early 2023, I have to say leaving behind everyone and everything I had ever known my entire life struck me like a blow to the head, especially when I got on the plane and realised there was no turning back. I had lived my whole life in Zambia and at some point in my work adjustments, it felt like I left my skills behind. Starting to practice midwifery in the UK didn’t start immediately as I still had exams to pass to get my NMC PIN.

The Difference the Programme Made

Being introduced to the Florence Nightingale Foundation online leadership programme for internationally educated nurses/midwives changed a lot about me as an individual, my working culture and skills. The programme consisted of several modules and one of my favourites was the presentation on Self-Presence and Impact. I worked in a place of limited resources which made work even harder but a place with all resources and different cultures made it even more difficult for me to speak up and be seen. Following this module, I found my voice and I saw how much impact self-presentation can have on oneself and others around you including service users. Another module that helped a lot was discovering my personality and how to communicate with others. The webinars made things even easier for me to understand, at some point it felt like they were speaking to me.

Then came the Quality Improvement module, another game changer I must say. It helped me reflect on how much we can improve our care in so many ways by reflecting on the outcome of the provided care. I looked forward to being part of a quality improvement project to broaden my skills and understanding of how to improve the quality of services being provided. It feels good to be part of the change you want to see and I would gladly take another chance to study with the Florence Nightingale Foundation.

I came across this quote by Zaid K Abdelnour which I have come to relate to a lot and it says:

“Life is like a camera. Just focus on what’s important, capture the good times. Develop from the negatives and if things don’t turn out right, then take another shot.”

So, keep taking shots until you take one that makes you feel fulfilled.”