Shamma Khalifa, a nursing student at the Higher Colleges of Technology, said that she is seeking to correct misconceptions about the negligence of the nursing profession in a practical way, indicating her choice to study this specialization, which is not desirable for some male and female students, and to take a profession and humanitarian and charitable work.
Al-Shamsi identified two types of moral and practical challenges, which she faces during her volunteer work in the national campaign "Emirates Volunteer", which was launched at the country level to support the continuous efforts to combat the "Covid-19" virus, which are the difficulty of communicating with the cultures and ideas of a large number of patients, who belong To non-speaking nationalities in both Arabic and English, and the inability to communicate medical information, with sufficient clarity, to people of determination who are deaf.
And since the launch of the national campaign, "The UAE Volunteer", in the middle of last April, she rushed to start volunteering work in Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah, to join the ranks of the "White Army", which addresses the dangers of the spread of the new Corona virus.
She expressed her happiness at the decision she had made to volunteer on the first line of defense in the face of the virus, and her family members' pride in their humanitarian work, despite their concerns about them.
And considered that «this feeling is normal», noting that her family, which raised her to commitment and national belonging, does not give in to her anxiety, but encourages her to continue her work with dedication, to be a simple part of giving back to the homeland.
Al-Shamsi's volunteering decision was not the only or the first to demonstrate that she possesses a high level of awareness and responsibility. It was preceded by the decision to choose nursing, the profession that students are discouraging from their responsibilities, and do not place their studies on the list of scientific disciplines they aspire to.
Al-Shamsi volunteered, despite her current focus on completing her study requirements, as she had only a few weeks left to graduate.
And on the tasks that she performs in her volunteer work, Al Shamsi explained that she works to organize and facilitate patient examinations, and to assist nurses and medical staff during their reception, pointing out that her specialization in nursing enabled her to help the medical staff by understanding the symptoms of patients, and to determine whether the condition is critical or No, it also helps employees in the public relations and happiness of customers, to prevent any congestion or gathering, and to relieve pressure on the medical staff by conducting the initial evaluation of patients in the reception department.
As for the reason for choosing the nursing profession, although it is a tiring profession, she said that choosing the profession is due to two things. The first is the determination to contribute to meeting the needs of the health system in the country from the national cadre in the nursing sector, which is a major artery in providing integrated and advanced medical services, where There is a huge shortage in the Emirati cadre of male and female nurses, while the second is her desire to change the misconceptions in the Arab world about the diminution of the nursing profession, and its lack of appreciation as a human value, pointing out that she decided to combat those concepts in practice, by choosing to study nursing, and to take a profession and humanitarian and charitable work ً.
Al Shamsi stressed the ability of Emirati women to excel and succeed in various practical fields, and government services sectors in all their specialties.
She stated that her family encourages her to continue her studies to obtain a master’s degree in nursing sciences, noting that she is not the only one in her volunteer family in the service areas of the national volunteering campaign, as two other members of her family also volunteered.
The challenges are natural
Shama Khalifa Al Shamsi explained to «Emirates Today» that «there is difficulty in clarifying the concepts of health, healthy habits and practices, for a large number of patients, given the presence of nearly 200 nationalities living in the Emirates, most of whom do not speak the main languages of the world», adding that "The difference in cultures and customs impedes the awareness of many people about healthy concepts, and sometimes leads to the excitement of some of them, which makes it difficult to deal with."
Another challenge, which lies in the difficulty of explaining information to the deaf group, is due to the lack of proficiency in sign language, not only at the level of volunteers, but for the vast majority of members of society. She said that the presence of challenges is natural, in providing any kind of services, especially during exceptional circumstances, stressing that training and practical practice ensure that volunteers deal efficiently with everything that they face.
“Shamma” works to organize the examination of patients, and to assist nurses and medical staff.
The specialization of nursing enables Shamma to understand the symptoms of patients and recognize critical conditions.
Nursing is a profession that students escape from their responsibilities, and do not place their studies on the list of majors.